Air cargo is typically unaffordable for most shippers. With ocean rates off the charts, air doesn’t look so bad. If you can find a booking, why wouldn’t you fly?
Airfreight markets around the world are facing serious capacity constraints. Trade growth is overwhelming the physical ability of carriers to move goods and it’s reflected in transport prices.
Air cargo is a good news, bad news story this year. Shipment volumes are at pre-crisis levels. But cargo is joined at the hip with passenger airlines, which are cutting more flights and struggling to survive.
Good luck finding an available aircraft to haul your goods at a reasonable price for the next three months. Competition for airlift is fierce these days. Find out why.
Air cargo capacity is tight out of key areas in Southeast Asia, but Chinese exporters enjoyed a week of flat to lower rates as supply exceeded demand
Companies that need to move goods by air will need to increase their transportation budgets to get through the fourth quarter as low capacity ignites airfreight prices.
Price inflation has tapered off for many – not all – air cargo markets during the second half of August. Shippers shouldn’t get used to it.
Airfreight exports from China slowed a bit in mid-August, allowing shippers to take back a tiny bit of pricing before rates shoot up for the next few months in as retailers build inventory for the holidays.
Several passenger airlines have proven that cargo can be lucrative business during a pandemic with little travel. American Airlines quickly built a dedicated cargo operation but is now throwing more resources at the business as market conditions improve.
Shipping by air got much more expensive when the coronavirus pandemic exploded in March. After moderating earlier this summer, another price spike is brewing.
