The head of one of the world’s largest air cargo handlers has brushed off the deteriorating outlook for global trade, arguing that the rise of ecommerce and growing demand for faster deliveries are driving a long-term shift towards moving goods by plane.

Worldwide Flight Services chief executive Craig Smyth said that air cargo, historically a relatively small part of the global supply chain, was playing an increasingly significant role as more shipping groups invested in aircraft fleets. “We’re pretty excited about [that] growth,” he said.

“Because of ecommerce?.?.?.?there’s definitely a shift that is structural, that is permanent,” he said. Online shopping deliveries now account for a fifth of the cargo that WFS is moving in some parts of the world.