airfreight rates

Airfreight volumes, pricing strengthen into 2021

A white jumbo jet begins to move down runway with parked planes in the background.

The air cargo market ended 2020 on a high note, picking up steam again in December and setting the stage for a potential full recovery to pre-pandemic levels in the first quarter of 2021 with little sign there will be a normal seasonal falloff, according to the latest industry data.

Global airfreight volumes rose 2.5% in December on a sequential basis, with the gap in year-over-over demand narrowing to minus 5% compared to the 37% contraction at the height of the global economic shutdown in...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/airfreight-volumes-pricing-strengthen-into-2021

Air cargo sector shoots toward 2021 recovery

Front-end of a Boeing 747 cargo jet, looking straight on to its nose. The plane is white.

While passenger airlines are struggling to survive, the air cargo market is poised to recover to pre-crisis levels in 2021 on the strength of a strong rebound in international trade and huge growth in e-commerce, according to the International Air Transport Association.

For the year, IATA projects air cargo demand to be 11.5% less than in 2019 versus a 66% drop in passenger volumes, but the year-over-year difference in cargo is narrowing each month. Cargo throughput, currently where it was four...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/air-cargo-sector-shoots-toward-2021-recovery

Baltic Exchange enters airfreight market with pricing index

Baltic Exchange

The Baltic Exchange, a centuries-old provider of maritime market information, has turned its attention to the sky by entering a partnership with air cargo pricing publisher TAC Index.

The London-based exchange will generate six outbound airfreight indices and 17 individual destinations, which will be offered under the Baltic Air Freight Index (BAI). TAC, based in Hong Kong, will keep these indices current.

The BEI indices will be priced in U.S. dollars per kilogram of freight and cover the key...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/baltic-exchange-enters-airfreight-market-with-pricing-index

Pandemic continues to fuel freighter demand

Plane being loaded with cargo in Hong Kong.

The coronavirus pandemic took a toll on every part of industry, but it has been particularly hard on the air cargo sector. The virus spread across the globe, halting travel and grounding flights. With passenger planes all but out of commission earlier this year – and still lagging considerably in the fourth quarter – shippers had significantly fewer options for moving their products across the world. To complicate matters further, transportation options fell through right as consumer demand for...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/pandemic-continues-to-fuel-freighter-demand

Peak shipping season for air cargo heats up to full boil

A white cargo jumbo jet with empty pallets on the ground on sunny day. The side of the plane says Cargolux.

The peak of the peak season is in full swing for international airfreight. For buyers, that means higher costs and delays finding available slots for air and ocean shipments, while transportation and logistics providers reap bigger profits per load.

The Southeast Asia and China export markets are especially hot and could boil into December. Spot rates out of China to North America started climbing again early this month as air capacity tightened and are approaching $6 per kilogram, according to...

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/peak-shipping-season-for-air-cargo-heats-up-to-full-boil

Airfreight Market Roundup: China dips while SE Asia stays strong

A white United Airlines plane takes off , view from behind.

China gave the airfreight market a headfake last week. It gave the impression capacity was tightening to the point that rates would seek higher ground for the rest of the year in response to peak season shipping. 

Instead demand tailed off as Apple slightly delayed the launch of its iPhone 12, with capacity slightly exceeding actual volumes. It was a similar story in many markets, according to WorldACD, with yields inching down or staying flat.

It may seem that shippers are catching a break on...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/airfreight-market-roundup-china-dips-while-se-asia-stays-strong

Asia airfreight rates are high and climbing higher

Pallets of humanitarian cargo sit outside next to a big plane waiting to be loaded on a sunny day.

After a three-week lull, prices for air exports from China have turned noticeably upward, a trend most international trade professionals expect will continue through the end of the year as the traditional peak shipping season overlaps with high demand for coronavirus medical supplies and major product releases from big tech companies.

Outbound spot rates from China to Europe and the U.S. increased in the last week of August, highlighted by a  10.8% increase in the Shanghai-Europe market and an...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/asia-airfreight-rates-are-high-and-climbing-higher

Several regions experience air cargo lull ahead of peak season

Cargo door open with a container resting in the hold of a Virgin Atlantic plane.

The rate pause for airfreight is in its third week and spreading beyond the China market, but industry experts expect spot rates to rise again in September as the peak shipping season kicks into high gear.

The per-kilogram price to ship from China to the U.S. fell 7.9% to start last week, with the rate from Shanghai down 10.7% and from Hong Kong down 5.4%. The price drop was greater than the prior week and included exports from Hong Kong this time, according to The Air Freight Index Co.

Airfreight...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/several-air-cargo-markets-experience-lull-ahead-of-peak-season

Air Cargo Market Report: China rate rebound takes a breather

A large shipment tied down on a pallet that is sitting by the engine of a large aircraft, with a bright blue sky in the background. Air cargo prices are 60% higher this year.

Airfreight rates to the U.S. plateaued in mid-August after rising for more than a month, influenced by a drop in demand from South China and passenger airlines temporarily adding more capacity. Still, finding affordable air transport in Southeast Asia, writ large, is difficult.

The dip freight activity isn’t expected to last long as retailers gin up shipments for the peak season buildup to the holidays. 

Shippers paid $0.02 cents less per kilo for air transport from China to the U.S., with a...

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/air-cargo-market-report-china-rate-rebound-takes-a-breather

American Airlines doubles down on cargo-only flights

A big silver American Airlines jet takes off with bright blue sky, airport in background. American is flying more cargo-only flights.

American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) in September will offer more than 1,000 cargo-only flights using passenger aircraft, double the number of dedicated cargo flights flown during August, in response to a transport supply shortage as the traditional peak shipping season gets underway.

Cargo-only operations will serve 32 cities and be supplemented by 1,200 passenger flights offering cargo space, the company said Monday. It does not currently plan to open up more floor space for cargo by removing seats.

https://s29755.pcdn.co/news/american-airlines-doubles-down-on-cargo-only-flights

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