ACFI Rebrands as World Conclave: India Eyes Global Air Cargo Leadership at August Summit

The Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI) has announced the 7th ACFI World Conclave 2026, to be held on 12–13 August at the Taj Palace, New Delhi. Rebranded as the ACFI World Conclave for the first time, the event reflects its growing international stature and India’s ambition to emerge as a global air cargo and logistics hub. More than 700–800 delegates, including policymakers, airlines, airports, freight forwarders, cargo terminal operators, customs authorities, technology providers and international logistics leaders, are expected to participate.

There would be four sessions, viz CEO Round Table, Fireside chats, and roundtable discussions spanning two days.

The conclave, themed “Reimagining Global Trade: India at the Forefront of Developing Resilient Supply Chains,” will examine how India can leverage expanding airport infrastructure, manufacturing growth, digitalization, and supportive government policies to strengthen its position in global logistics. ACFI President Sanjiv Edward, CEO of Cargo & Logistics, GMR Group, said the “World Conclave” designation signifies India’s increasing global relevance and growing international participation. He emphasized that resilient supply chains depend on collaboration among airlines, airports, customs authorities, freight forwarders, regulators and logistics companies.

Ramesh Mamidala, Vice President, Air Cargo Forum India (ACFI) and Head of Cargo, Air India Limited, that the air cargo industry was undergoing one of the biggest transformations in recent years. The sector should continuously adapt to changing trade routes and rising e-commerce volumes to meet increasing expectations around speed, visibility, and sustainability.

Karanjit Singh Wadhwa, Chairman, Event Management, Air Cargo Forum India, said that the objective of this year’s conclave was to move beyond conversations and create meaningful Industry outcomes.

Satish Lakkaraju, board member of Air Cargo Forum India and CEO of Nexgen Logistics said one of the tasks of this seminar was how to to increase annual throughput to 10 million tonnes by 2030.

India’s air cargo volumes reached 39.63 lakh tonnes in FY26, growing 6.2% with international cargo accounting for nearly 64% of total volumes. The conclave will produce a White Paper for submission to the Government of India, host an expanded technology exhibition, and run the third edition of the Innovtopia Awards recognising excellence in customer service, competitiveness, safety, digitalisation, and sustainability. ACFI also plans to sign MoUs with several state governments to promote air cargo infrastructure and logistics development. Edward concluded that the conclave is designed to transform ideas into partnerships and position India as a key architect of future global supply chains.