air cargo volume

Kuehne + Nagel hits Q2 home run amid supply chain uncertainty

A Kuehne + Nagel truck approaches a K + N warehouse.

Kuehne + Nagel, the second-largest logistics provider in the world, on Tuesday said a huge surge in air and ocean shipments propelled earnings to new highs in the second quarter.

The company generated 605 million Swiss francs (CHF) ($623 million) in pretax income, more than double last year’s performance for the quarter, thanks to a 48% jump in net revenues. First-half earnings before taxes and interest increased almost 150% to $1.1 billion.

The results reflect the soaring demand since the end of...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/kuehne-nagel-hits-q2-home-run-amid-supply-chain-uncertainty

Stranger things: Air cargo becomes value play over ocean freight

Supply chains in 2021 are living in an alternate dimension. Up is down and down is up. That’s what happens when container shipping rates exceed $20,000 per box and air cargo, normally used for high-value goods and perishable products for which speed to market is critical, doesn’t seem budget-scary anymore. 

The price for shipping goods by air is nearly double what it was before the COVID pandemic, but ocean freight has become so expensive – and even slower –  in recent months that air cargo...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/stranger-things-air-cargo-becomes-value-play-over-ocean-freight

Companies in desperate hunt for aircraft to move cargo

A forklift driver with a pallet, airfreight containers in a row and an aircraft in the background.

The airfreight market is so saturated that companies without precommitments, or the stomach to pay premiums, are having difficulty finding aircraft to move their goods. And import cargo keeps coming, on top of record volumes for air and ocean shipping, further straining an air logistics system stretched by a shortage of equipment and airport labor.

Logistics professionals and analysts say capacity is rapidly tightening as more shippers turn to air for cross-border transport, sending air cargo...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/companies-in-desperate-hunt-for-aircraft-to-move-cargo

Air cargo gone wild: 9% growth in February

A tractor pulls a cargo pallet.

The international air cargo market has been on fire since last summer and the blaze is getting bigger, new figures show. The only thing dampening growth is a lack of capacity related to the severe pullback in international passenger flights.

February air shipment volumes increased 9% compared to the same month in 2019, according to data released Wednesday by the International Air Transport Association. Demand for air transport is so strong that it has returned to elevated levels last seen before...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/air-cargo-gone-wild-9-growth-in-february

Suez bypass: Good luck finding an air cargo alternative

Cargo pallets on a hydraulic lift being unloaded out of side door of large aircraft with white fuselage.

When supply chains break down, one of the first options for time-critical shipments is airfreight. But businesses hunting for air transport to avoid the giant ocean bottleneck in the Suez Canal are in for a rude awakening: There are no spare aircraft. 

Take a number and get in line, logistics experts say.

Or pay a premium for expedited service — on top of rates that typically are eight times greater than those for ocean shipping.

“Much of the available capacity has already been committed as we are...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/suez-bypass-good-luck-finding-an-air-cargo-alternative

Bargain hunters beware: No time to shop for airfreight deals

Wing of a plane viewed from behind the plane, with cargo being loaded in side door.

Businesses requiring air transport to move goods are putting on their big boy pants as they accept the harsh reality of the air cargo market in 2021: If you want to play, you have to pay.

Volatility and uncertainty are the watchwords for the air cargo sector, but analysts and logistics professionals say extremely tight capacity and elevated freight rates are here to stay for the rest of the year, with none of the usual doldrums until the fall holiday rush. And finding aircraft with cargo slots...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/bargain-hunters-beware-no-time-to-shop-for-airfreight-deals

Air cargo 2021: The good, the bad and the ugly

A white and green plane loading pallets of cargo through side door.

The air cargo industry has officially recovered from the depths of the pandemic, with volumes in January 1.1% above the 2019 level. The bad news, according to the International Air Transport Association, is that freight capacity lost ground for the first time since April, dropping 5% on a monthly basis, because passenger airlines pulled back on flight activity in response to COVID outbreaks and widespread travel restrictions.

The amount of available airlift for cargo in January was 19.5% less...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/air-cargo-2021-the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly

Transport buyers dig deeper into wallets for air cargo

A 747 jumbo jet with white paint and light blue accents with the word CARGO on the side.

Air cargo rates are climbing sharply again, especially for shipments via Asia, after the slowdown for the recent Chinese New Year holiday was more muted than usual. And there is little prospect for price relief the rest of the year, analysts say, with the supply of large, intercontinental aircraft still far below pre-pandemic levels and ocean capacity oversubscribed.

Market watchers describe conditions for air shipments as volatile. COVID-19 has changed life and economic conditions so much that...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/transport-buyers-dig-deeper-into-wallets-for-air-cargo

For airlines, cargo no substitute for people

Containers on a lift get loaded into side a big airplane on a sunny day.

Air cargo and airline passenger business are inextricably linked, but they don’t share the same path to recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Shipment volumes have nearly recovered to their 2019 levels and will grow by double digits this year, while outbreaks of new coronavirus strains and more government travel restrictions dampen expectations that passenger traffic can crawl back to half of 2019’s level, the International Air Transport Association said Wednesday.

Although the cargo sector and...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/for-airlines-cargo-no-substitute-for-people

Supply-demand imbalance continues to vex air cargo shippers

A cargo pallet sitting on tarmac next to a big white and blue jumbo jet.

The new year is off to a hot start for the air cargo market with no sign of cooling off. International transport activity typically softens following the holiday peak season, but demand and rates remain elevated because of unusual shipping patterns and a severe shortage of airlift triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

And logistics companies don’t expect air cargo volumes to subside before the Chinese New Year because manufacturers plan to continue operating without a traditional break. 

The...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/supply-demand-imbalance-continues-to-vex-air-cargo-shippers

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