Inside Air Cargo: AfA’s Fourth Annual Congressional Staff Visit to BWI

October 22, 2026 · BWI Marshall Airport, Maryland

Congressional staff can examine an infrastructure or security proposal on paper. Visiting the operation adds another perspective: how cargo is accepted, handled, transferred, and kept moving, and where public decisions affect that work.

The Airforwarders Association’s fourth annual congressional staff visit to BWI Marshall Airport brought 15 staff members from both parties and both chambers together with industry representatives. Hosted with the Maryland Aviation Administration, Southwest Airlines Cargo, and Amazon Air, the visit included tours of two different air cargo operations.

Connecting policy with the operation

Participants represented congressional offices and committees working on aviation, customs and trade, and homeland security. The visits gave staff a firsthand setting in which to consider the operating needs behind industry requests, rather than treating air cargo as a single, uniform business model.

CLDA President-Elect Ralph Perrothers also participated. CLDA’s subsequent recap highlighted the scale, value, and complexity of the commerce moving through airports and the different operating models demonstrated by Southwest Cargo and Amazon Air.

Diakon’s role

Diakon Partners Managing Partner Michael Taylor supported planning, congressional outreach, and participant follow-up in his role as AfA Government Relations Director. Following the visit, staff received airport and AfA presentation materials and an invitation to raise additional questions or seek industry expertise.

The purpose was practical education: helping the people who advise lawmakers connect policy questions with the facilities, businesses, and customers affected. Continued follow-up helps carry that understanding into future legislative and oversight work.

Acknowledgments and further reading

Thank you to AfA, the Maryland Aviation Administration, Southwest Airlines Cargo, Amazon Air, participating industry representatives, and the congressional staff who joined the visit. Read CLDA’s recap.