Drewry Air Freight Index – a December drop

   According to recently released numbers from Drewry, air freight rates out of Asia to Europe and the United States fell in December.
   This decrease in the cost of shipping air cargo followed a spike in November due to new product releases. Experts say air freight pricing out of Asia will fall some more, but this sluggishness will be mitigated a bit by activity in anticipation of the Chinese New Year.
   Officials at Drewry also see air freight benefiting from strife in the ocean markets, with shippers looking for a more reliable way to get their goods to market. This would certainly be the case for high-value shippers, who may look to expanded sea-air offerings from DHL and other companies that route goods through Dubai.
   The path ahead for worldwide air cargo, though, isn’t necessarily clear. While many experts anticipate increased activity, that likely won’t come until at least the middle of 2013. Air capacity, especially out of Asia, will continue to tighten for the first few months of the year. It’s also unknown how uneasiness among European carriers will affect the overall market.
   Drewry’s measured decline in air freight rates will likely continue for the near future, but volumes will soon start picking up. – Jon Ross