News / "Tough" start to the year as air freight rates at their lowest since September

© Khunaspix Dreamstime.

Things can only get better. We hope. Because January marked a further downturn in the fortunes of the air cargo industry, with traffic suffering significant year-on-year declines, while air freight rates tumbled dramatically on previous months.

According to Drewry’s east-west air freight price index (below), a weighted average of all-in pricing paid by forwarders in January to airlines on 21 major east-west routes, rates fell to their lowest point since September, dropping 10% to $3.25 per kilo. The highest rate since ...