Amsterdam, March 17, 2026 – Air Cargo Netherlands (ACN) is introducing the Air Cargo Innovation Lab (ACIL) as a driver for renewal within the cargo industry. The lab creates an environment where thinking differently, working differently, and experimentation are central. This fosters a culture where innovation is not an exception, but a standard practice.

The Air Cargo Innovation Lab represents the next step in ACN’s structural innovation strategy. As the owner of the Smart Cargo Mainport Program (SCMP) at Schiphol, ACN is already working on digitalization and supply chain collaboration. With ACIL, a dedicated experimentation and development environment is added, where new ideas and technologies can be tested and further developed more quickly for broad application across the sector.

Maarten van As (Managing Director ACN):

“The air cargo sector is on the threshold of a period of profound change. Initiatives like the Air Cargo Innovation Lab show that we are not waiting around, but actively innovating and collaborating to make the chain future-proof. This is exactly the mindset needed to strengthen the Netherlands as a logistics hub.”

Fabian Haijenga (Program Manager, Smart Cargo Mainport Program):

“Within the Smart Cargo Mainport Program, we work on the structural digitalization of the chain. With ACIL, we add an environment where we can experiment more rapidly. What proves successful there, we scale up to the sector via the SCMP.”

Science, startups, and young talent as a powerful ecosystem

A key component of this strategy is the partnership with Startup Village at the Amsterdam Science Park. In this dynamic environment, science, startups, and young talent converge. In doing so, ACN is building an ecosystem where inspiration, experimentation, and innovation reinforce one another.

Femmie Geradts (Managing Director, Startup Village Amsterdam): “It is wonderful to see ACN taking this step. By bringing together knowledge, talent, and entrepreneurship, we strengthen the innovative power of the air cargo sector and make the Netherlands more attractive for new technologies, startups, and young talent.”

Air cargo sector: stronger, more innovative, and better connected than ever

The chosen course aligns with current social and economic issues and policy plans, including the Wennink Plan, the industrial letter (industriebrief), and the current coalition’s plans for the coming years. With this, ACN emphatically positions the air cargo sector as a proactive and innovative partner in strengthening the Dutch business climate.

As the owner of the Smart Cargo Mainport Program at Schiphol, ACN demonstrates leadership by choosing this route—a bold and forward-looking step that makes the Dutch air cargo sector stronger, more innovative, and better connected than ever before.