A new digital initiative aimed at addressing long-standing fragmentation in the air cargo marketplace is stepping into the spotlight as tricargo, a web-based industry platform created by the FEDAGSA, prepares to unveil its long-term vision at a high-level gathering in Rome.
The launch event, held at Palazzo Dama and hosted by Matthew Ware, CEO of tricargo and Mark 3 International, brings together senior executives from the freight forwarding and GSA sectors, alongside representatives from FIATAand FEDAGSA. The gathering is designed not only as a formal market introduction, but also as a strategic forum focused on the future structure of air cargo distribution, digital visibility, and collaboration across the supply chain.
tricargo has been developed as a neutral “window” into the air cargo market, enabling freight forwarders to identify available GSA capacity by route or capability and submit quote requests through a single interface. Unlike traditional booking marketplaces or airline-controlled digital platforms, tricargo does not process pricing, bookings, or financial transactions. Instead, its stated objective is to create transparency between freight forwarders and general sales agents without commercial bias.
The platform’s foundation stems from what FEDAGSA describes as a structural imbalance within the current air cargo ecosystem, where most digital marketplaces are operated by parties with direct commercial interests in transactions. According to the federation, this has limited forwarders’ ability to gain a neutral overview of available GSA services and capacity options across markets.
To scale the initiative globally, FEDAGSA partnered with Mark 3 International, recognising the operational and financial demands required to manage a large-scale technology platform. The agreement between the two organisations includes provisions designed to preserve tricargo’s independence and neutrality. Under the structure, Mark 3 participates on the same terms as any other forwarder or GSA using the platform.
Industry sources indicate that this governance model is central to tricargo’s positioning in a market increasingly shaped by digitalisation, data visibility, and platform consolidation.
Matthew Ware said the launch comes at a pivotal moment for the industry.
“For many years, the air cargo market has been fractured, making it difficult for freight forwarders to easily access the right airfreight options, while GSAs have also found it hard to connect with the right forwarders.”
Ware added that the objective is not to replace traditional commercial relationships, but to broaden visibility across the wider market.
“When the participants in an industry can meet on neutral ground, things happen that don’t happen anywhere else. That’s why FEDAGSA’s vision for tricargo made sense to us, and why we built neutrality and independence into the agreement from the start.”
The Rome event also includes strategic discussions focused on the next five years of air cargo development, including digital transformation, market accessibility, and the growing role of artificial intelligence within freight forwarding workflows.
Among the technology participants is Dobby AI, whose AI assistant has been integrated into the freight forwarder side of the tricargo platform. The move reflects a broader industry trend toward AI-enabled operational support tools designed to streamline search, routing, and communication processes across cargo operations.
Ware, who previously led CFL, Heathrow Airport’s on-airport express courier handler, and also served as Chairman of Aviation Services UK, noted that forwarders and GSAs alike have consistently requested greater visibility into the wider cargo marketplace.
“The air cargo market has been fragmented for a long time. Forwarders rely on the GSAs they already know; and GSAs depend on existing relationships for new business. tricargo doesn’t replace those relationships, it makes the wider market visible alongside them.”
tricargo will be offered free of charge to freight forwarders, while the first 100 GSAs joining the platform will receive founding member status. Under the operational agreement, both FEDAGSA and FIATA will receive a share of gross revenue generated by tricargo, reinforcing the platform’s stated goal of returning value to the broader industry community.
The initiative arrives at a time when digital transformation continues to accelerate across global logistics, with industry organisations such as FIATA increasingly emphasising digital trade facilitation, data governance, and collaborative technology frameworks as strategic priorities for the decade ahead.
The launch also underscores Rome’s growing profile as a strategic air cargo and logistics hub in Southern Europe, supported by ongoing cargo network expansion and broader airline investment in the Italian market.
