Speaking loud and clear when it matters most

We could not have known as we boarded our flight back to London from Air Cargo India in Mumbai two weeks ago that we would be some of the lucky ones to get home quickly, unaffected by events unfolding in the Middle East and Gulf.

But that’s the nature of a crisis, isn’t it?

There you are minding your own business, when wham, the world changes and events start moving at pace, unpredictably, and with consequences that spread quickly.

First thoughts are, and remain, of course, for everyone affected on the ground.

Then the safety of colleagues and friends – some were now stuck in Mumbai, others stranded mid-way home in unexpected destinations.

One of my good friends, who lives in Abu Dhabi, had just arrived in Thailand on a much-awaited girlie trip away from the kids, except now she was away from her children at a time when she definitely needed not to be.

For anyone working in our industry, unsurprisingly, the implications hit hard almost immediately.

Shipments that only days earlier looked routine were suddenly sitting in a far more fragile network.

Only a week before, those same supply chains had been discussed in Mumbai in the context of ‘resilience strategies’.

Now they are being tested in real time.

When it comes to communications, that is where the tension starts.

As an organisation, you are almost certainly being asked to speak while the situation is still moving.

Your ops teams are working through exposure and safety, and you are having to make decisions by the hour.

But journalists, customers, and employees want answers immediately.

The instinct is to wait until the picture becomes clearer, but that’s not how it works in a crisis, not just because news travels fast, but because you need that news to be factual, and you need to make sure that when the news lands, it is helpful.

In this context, silence feels evasive, not cautious.

Ideally you will have prepared Crisis Comms plan, including who will say what and when, and who will be in charge of the communication.

But even if you haven’t, there are some rules that you can stick by to help steer your conversation.

Here are our practical tips for communicating business operations during a crisis.*

Decide who is going to say what
Identify who will handle operational updates, who will speak to media, and who will communicate with customers. Ideally this should happen before it all kicks off as part of a crisis communications plan developed with your PR team, but if it has not been done, start here and make sure everyone is clear.

Coordinate internally before publishing anything
Management, operations, customer, and communications teams must be working from the same set of confirmed facts about what is happening across the network.

Start with the operational fact
Say clearly what has changed in the network, whether that is airspace closure, re-routing, capacity loss, or delays.

Get the balance right
The safety of staff, ground teams, and partners must come first and that should be stated clearly, while still explaining what is happening operationally.

Tell customers what it means for their freight
They need to know whether cargo is moving, waiting, or being diverted.

Explain routing and capacity changes
If aircraft are diverting or lanes are closing, explain how shipments will move instead.

Do not speculate
If the operational picture is still forming, say exactly that and commit to another update.

Keep the language plain
Customers want clear operational information, not corporate phrasing.

Set the next update time
Even if little has changed, stakeholders should know when the next information will come.

Communicate until operations stabilise
Silence during disruption creates more uncertainty than difficult news delivered clearly.

Keep a record of what happens
Document decisions, statements, updates, and stakeholder reactions so that when the crisis ends the organisation can review the response and strengthen its crisis communications plan for the future.

Work within professional standards
Accuracy, honesty, and transparency during disruption are important, take a look at advice from professional bodies such as the CIPR and PRCA, which emphasise verified information, responsible communication, and respect for regulatory frameworks.

Our thoughts remain with everyone affected, and we hope that colleagues, friends, and families across the region remain safe and that the situation resolves quickly.

*These tips focus on communicating business operations during disruption; situations involving loss of life require a different communications framework and should always be handled separately with specialist guidance.

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