Airfreight rates flatten off in March but remain ahead of 2017 levels

Airfreight rates flattened off in March compared with a month earlier, although major routes out of Asia continue to track ahead of last year’s levels.
The latest figures from TAC Index show that airfreight rates on service from Hong Kong to North America in March increased by 26.3% compared with the same month a year ago to reach $3.65 per kg.
Prices on the route are also up on 2016 levels, when carriers were able to achieve $2.32 per kg, and there was a slight 0.8% increase compared with February, a reflection of seasonal demand trends.
On Hong Kong-Europe there was also an increase in March compared with a year earlier, with prices reaching $2.44 per kg, up 15.6% on 2017.
Compared with 2016, prices were up 23.2% but there was a slight 3.9% decline on February, a reflection of a flattening in demand over the first few months of the year.
Click on chart for interactive version

The year-on-year increases reflect the decent start to the year, with analyst figures showing that air cargo demand has increased by around 7% over the first couple of months.
Performing less well were services between Frankfurt and North America, where carriers saw rates decrease by 2.9% year on year in March to $3.01 per kg.
Last year saw a spike in demand on the trade lane in March, with IATA figures showing that European airlines registered an 18.2% year-on-year increase in freight tonne kms.
Compared with a month earlier, prices on the route were down by 1.6%, although this reflects seasonal trends.

Share this story

Related Topics

Latest airfreight rates news

Etihad Cargo sees revenues decline in 2023 as market rates cooled

Etihad Cargo registered a decline in its cargo revenues last year as the wider air cargo market cooled following the…

Read More

Share this story

Airfreight rates on major trades remain down on 2023 levels in February

Air cargo rates continued to register declines on major east-west trades in February compared with last year as the timing…

Read More

Share this story

Awery reports Red Sea-related rates rise

There are conflicting opinions about the extent to which the Red Sea shipping crisis is impacting airfreight, but airfreight rates…

Read More

Share this story

Air Cargo News

Air Cargo News
Established in 1983, Air Cargo News is the leading source of news, information, interviews, analyses and reports to the global airfreight industry. Our leading portfolio includes print, digital and events that give businesses in the airfreight industry the ability to connect with decision-makers in this sector.