Airfreight rates ex-China 'loss-making', but hopes of a trade deal stay high
Despite “loss-making” airfreight rates offered for Hong Kong/China-US, Chinese forwarders seem optimistic that the trade ...
© Vitalii Shkurko
By Alex Lennane
Forwarders are warning that although the airfreight market currently seems stable, conditions could change very quickly, and the longer-term outlook could be challenging for airlines as ecommerce platforms look to sea freight instead.
“So far, volumes from China to the US have not reduced significantly, but it is very much dependent on US tariff policy; so it could go upside down overnight,” said one Shanghai-based airfreight forwarder.
Scan Global Logistics agreed. “It is clear that the highly volatile market conditions can change ...
Comment on this article
Pichuiyer Balasubramanian
March 21, 2025 at 3:55 pmThe statement by the Chinese forwarder makes a lot of sense. The consumer may order it ‘now’ and expect it in a day or two. But the predictive analysis results clearly indicate that ‘you and i’ would require a `MacBook cable or a Samsung phone or whatever certainly. Why wait till the consumer orders? Stock it – move it regionally if required and manage optimal and storage costs.