South-east Asia the star exporter replacing ecommerce in air cargo
General cargo imports have emerged as the main driver of air freight demand on the ...
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The EU’s introduction of a €3 customs duty on low-value ecommerce imports has triggered significant disruption to air cargo networks, as carriers and shippers adjust to the varying implementation practices across member states.
The temporary duty, which came into force on 1 July, replaces the long-standing exemption for consignments valued up to €150. The EC says the measure is designed “to create a level playing field, improve product safety, and modernise customs procedures”, ahead of the launch of the EU Customs Data Hub in 2028.
However, industry sources say the differing approaches by national customs authorities are already distorting cargo flows.
One source told The Loadstar: “The replacement of de minimis customs charges and replacement with a €3 package charge is causing huge disruptions to the air cargo business in Europe.
“Some EU countries are requiring Chinese exporters to deposit €1m in advance and then pay as they go. Others are charging as the flight arrives and this is causing some business to shift to the countries with lower thresholds.
“Italy seems to be one of the most relaxed EU entry points, and that is causing flights that previously went to Central European airports to shift southwards. This is destabilising eastbound flights, which is impacting our business.”
The source added that airports in Belgium, Germany and France were likely to be hardest hit.
Indeed, Fabrice Pauquet, MD of Vatry Airport, told The Loadstar: “Normally, all EU countries should play the same game, but it seems like some are playing differently on the amount of money to put on the table for the tax.”
Mr Pauquet noted that Italy “seems to be a little bit more flexible”, in that entry to the country doesn’t require €1m per flight as a guarantee, adding: “France is still requiring a lot of money before providing customs clearance… So, we are still struggling to get the flights back.”
And an Aevean analysis indicates that the disruption extends beyond just anecdotal evidence.
Maarten Wormer, head of consulting at Aevean, told The Loadstar several countries that introduced national parcel fees before the EU-wide measure had already seen traffic diverted.
France’s ecommerce imports fell between 30% and 55% year on year from March to May after the country introduced a €2 fee per parcel, while neighbours Spain, Belgium, and the Netherlands, all with no fee, recorded growth.
Since the EU-wide duty took effect, direct freighter capacity into Europe from Asia-Pacific and the Middle East has fallen for three consecutive weeks. Compared with the final week before implementation, week 29, capacity was down 16%, with Budapest recording the steepest decline (-51%), followed by Luxembourg (-23%), Milan Malpensa (-23%), and Amsterdam (-21%).
Paris Charles de Gaulle was the only major hub to post growth (+14%), suggesting the bloc-wide regime has eased some of the competitive disadvantage France previously faced.
The EC maintains the €3 charge is imposed on businesses, rather than consumers, and is intended to replace “an outdated exemption that allowed billions of low-value imports to enter the EU duty-free each year”. It added that mandatory product identifiers would follow in November to strengthen traceability and safety checks.
One stakeholder noted the scale of the measure and told The Loadstar: “It’s a hell of a lot of money compared with the fact we were getting nothing before.”
However, Ahmed El-Alfy, global business development director at GN TEQ, said the measure was “rebalancing away from millions of direct parcels towards consolidated, warehouse-fed flows”, rather than a collapse of European imports.
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