Air Cargo Carriers News

The bottlenecks that have frustrated ocean shippers all year have spread to air cargo, pushing up rates to stratospheric levels and delaying shipments.

International air freight and last-mile delivery saw the fastest revenue growth in the transportation sector last year, while industrial transportation suffered.

Global air cargo volumes in August and September were up just 1 percent compared to the same months in 2019, but the shortage of capacity has shippers fighting to secure capacity ahead of holiday season.

There is little clarity in Shanghai airport’s evolving COVID-19 lockdown situation, with forwarders in China asked not to deliver export cargo to the terminals and airlines suspending inbound shipments.

Air cargo industry experts told the TPM21 conference the belly space that normally makes up more than half of all available freight capacity will likely remain sidelined as airlines continue to struggle with uncertain passenger demand.

Apex Logistics International plans to continue to expand scheduled charters in 2021 after seeing a 200 percent increase in charter demand in 2020.

Airlines are beginning to extend the validity of rates offered on some major trades after cutting price and space guarantees to one week or even less when passenger fleets were first grounded at the end of the first quarter of 2020.

There’s debate about how much of a knock-on effect COVID-19 vaccine distribution could have on other types of cargoes, but US shippers are cautioned to plan for some disruption.

The air cargo industry is gradually moving to electronic bookings between forwarders and airlines, but the evolution could still take time if previous digitization initiatives in the industry are any indication.

A partnership between airfreight software specialist WebCargo and cargo airline management platform IBS will enable carriers to quote more efficiently, and electronically, to forwarders.

Lufthansa Cargo will offer instant air freight quotes via an application programming interface with digital forwarder Fleet, a company in which the German airline invested in 2018.

After a disappointing peak season in 2019, the outlook for international air freight in 2020 will depend on an acceleration in global trade demand and an easing of tensions between the United States and its trading partners, particularly China.

The IL-96 500T will substitute for An-124 deliveries, hobbled by the Crimean annexation.

The outlook for air cargo is turning negative as carriers face headwinds in the form of trade upheaval and falling demand.

Gathering e-commerce momentum is revolutionizing global air cargo supply chains.

“I don’t know if the peak this year will look like last year, but we have about 20 freighters and take a lot of volume in our widebody fleet that we expanded quite a bit, so there are a lot more destinations,” Cathay Pacific CEO Rupert Hogg said. “But going into next year the future is unknown.”

<p>Further, trans-Pacific shippers will welcome the additional capacity, especially this peak season, for several reasons.</p>

Aligning capacity with fluctuating demand and sticker-shock pricing is always a tough dance in the air cargo spot market, and it is getting more difficult.

The scheduled Hong Kong-LAX freighter service to be launched by Flexport is aimed at locking in space on the busy route.

<p>The recovering air cargo market is generating unprecedented growth at selected airports in Asia and Europe.</p>

The space-choked China-US air freight routes may see rate levels reach incredible highs as demand overpowers supply ahead of Chinese New Year.

There will be little respite for shippers struggling to reserve air cargo space on the major trades until mid-February, with strong demand expected to continue until the Lunar New Year.

Freight rates for air cargo are rising steadily and space is at a premium with no slowing of demand.

Peak season demand is using up all available capacity and pushing up rates to unheard of levels.

These are the best of times for the global airline industry but look like the worst of times for UK carriers and airports as they sweat over Brexit.

The sales figures surrounding China's Single's Day are predictably large, but the online shopping promotion continues robust 2017 e-commerce demand that is driving up air cargo volume.

European airlines are bystanders in the long simmering “open skies” dispute between US and Gulf airlines that looks like it is about to shoot up to the top of President Trump’s “America First” agenda.

July’s performance was the third straight month of double-digit gains.

An early peak season is expected in the air cargo sector.

All regions posted growth.

Traffic measured in revenue cargo tonne kilometers rose 4.3 percent year-over-year.

The carrier said its multiple nightly truck operations boost capacity and route options for shippers.

The Franco-Dutch carrier transported 286,000 tonnes (315,261 tons).

First-half traffic grew 1.2 percent to 330,000 tonnes.

Air cargo growth for Asian carriers in June continued its robust growth on the back of solid international trade.

Nittsu Research Institute and Consulting Inc. has revised upward its fiscal year outlook for growth in Japan’s air cargo trade.

Europe’s fourth-largest air cargo hub handled 142,349 tonnes.

All regions except Latin America posted double-digit growth.

Cargolux said the joint venture contract signed in Beijing “is a major landmark.”

AirBridgeCargo Airlines continued to outpace its European rivals with traffic soaring 17 percent in the first quarter as it increased its freighter fleet and expanded its global network.