News that the US port strike has ended for now will bring much relief to shippers – but requests for air charters have soared this week, for a variety of reasons. And that demand has not been limited to strike-affected shippers, fearful of having their cargo in the wrong place in the run-up to Christmas, charter brokers are also dealing with humanitarian and crisis cargo, following the devastation caused by Hurricane ... The post Air charter demand soars as humanitarian flights add to strike fears appeared first on The Loadstar ..read more

Airlines and forwarders will be asking if the potential short-term financial gains from today’s increased market volatility are worth jeopardising customer relations. Releasing its September rates report two days into the largest strike to hit US east and Gulf coast ports in close to half a century, Xeneta notes that last month was the first this year in which airfreight did not experience a double-digit volume bounce. And chief airfreight officer at ... The post Tight capacity and rates surge could mean you must ‘pay to play’ in airfreight as strike continues appeared first on The Loadstar ..read more

The US dockworker union ILA may only just have confirmed the east and Gulf coast port strike, but disruption is already happening – with shippers bracing for extra airfreight costs. “Containers will be in the wrong spot, and shippers will have to deal with that,” said Niall van de Wouw, chief airfreight officer for Xeneta. “Some have already pulled back freight they had dispatched. So they will need to supplement their stock ... The post Strike disruption begins: ‘a frenzy’ to come with extra demand for airfreight appeared first on The Loadstar ..read more

Charter brokers have warned that the fourth quarter in air freight will be very busy – but that capacity is still available “for a price”.   However, brokers aren’t too concerned over impossibly high demand in the case of a US east and Gulf coast port strike.  “There is tight availability for widebody aircraft,” explained Dan Morgan-Evans, group  cargo director for Air Charter Service. “Ecommerce is a factor everywhere really, and it’s ... The post Air charter market braced for very busy Q4, and prices are rising appeared first on The Loadstar ..read more

Growth in India’s electronics industry has boosted air cargo – but at the expense of some lower-margin verticals.  US tech giant Apple continues to expand its iPhone exports out of India, where it aims to produce a quarter of its smartphone variants by 2025 – its latest iPhone 16 series is lined up for local production.   And Apple seems to be well on track to fulfil its intent: the tech giant ... The post Apple driving growth in India’s air cargo sector, but at a cost appeared first on The Loadstar ..read more

Air cargo spot rates have hit a new height in the first week of September, as the industry braces for transpacific-heavy demand in Q4. Average global spot rates went up 6% in week 36, according to WorldACD, 30% higher than a year earlier. Asia-Pacific origin rose 6% week-on-week while the Middle East and south Asia went up 7% – 41% and 101% higher year-on-year, respectively. Contract rates also went up 3% week-on ... The post Ex-Asia airfreight rates start to hit peak season levels as capacity tightens appeared first on The Loadstar ..read more

General cargo shippers, fighting for space against ecommerce giants, should “brace for impact” as the industry heads towards “one of the highest peaks ever in the industry of air cargo”, with a shortage of capacity likely to see airlines prioritising profits.   Head of global airfreight at DSV, Stefan Krikken, told delegates at today’s EU CBEC ecommerce forum in Liege: “When it comes to the peak this year, I think everyone ... The post Forwarders told to ‘brace for impact’ as ecommerce bags air capacity appeared first on The Loadstar ..read more

Airlines will be forced to get creative with their networks as air cargo’s predicted two-year demand growth will create an “unprecedented state”, with limited capacity.  During today’s EU CBEC ecommerce forum at Liege airport, CEO of market intelligence platform Rotate, Ryan Keyrouse, said: “If e-commerce growth continues aggressively, we are going to be in an unprecedented state; the highest two-year growth average we’ve had in recent decades.”  Mr Keyrouse noted that due to ... The post ‘Aggressive’ ecommerce growth hampered by lack of air cargo capacity appeared first on The ..read more

Cargo airlines are demanding better services and lower costs in Bangladesh, if exporters want more airfreight capacity. Elevated air freight rates out of the country have caused a number of airlines to add ad hoc services to the country, including Qatar Airways, Silk Way West and Emirates, which began offering Dhaka freighter services about two weeks ago and are keen to increase capacity amid high demand. However, in a meeting yesterday with the ... The post Freighter operators demand better service at Dhaka in return for capacity appeared first on The Loadstar ..read more

As the industry heads into the peak season for airfreight, cargo owners are facing challenges to securing capacity out of Asia. Some origin and transit points are already struggling with congestion while capacity there can only be secured by paying premium rates, warned Hong Kong-based logistics provider Dimerco in its latest market update. A lot of lift has already been snapped up by large e-commerce firms that have signed-up peak charter flights ... The post Warning of peak season airfreight capacity challenges out of Asia appeared first on The Loadstar ..read more