Photo: Jaromir Chalabala/ Shutterstock
The volume of laptops being transported from Vietnam to the US by air cargo has surged in recent months, according to figures from consultant Aevean.
Data from the company shows that the number of laptops transported by air cargo out of Vietnam increased by 4,400 tonnes in April compared with the level recorded in February, when around 2,500 tonnes of laptops were exported out of the country.
This equates to an increase of around 75% between February and April. Laptop volumes were also up in March and Aevean said the increase in laptop volumes out of Vietnam equated to around 8,000 tonnes over the two months.
Aevean said that catering for this demand would require around an extra 1.5 widebody freighter flights per day.
Meanwhile, while laptop volumes out of Vietnam were on the rise in March and April, there were declines in volumes out of China.
Aevean figures show that monthly laptop volumes transported by air from China fell from around 7,000 tonnes per month in January to around 2,500 tonnes in February and March before declining further in April.
The figures are one example of how the US tariff war on China has affected the air cargo market in recent months.
US president Donald Trump first announced tariffs on China of 10% in early February under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA).
In early March, a further 10% was added, while in early April, new tariffs were added at a rate of 34% before reaching as high as 145% later in the month as the trade war between China and the US reached its pinnacle.
The de minimis exemption allowing e-commerce packages to enter the US duty-free was also removed, meaning these shipments would now need to pay tariffs when being transported on a commercial airline.
Many electronics products, including laptops and smart phones were exempted from the tariffs in mid-April.
In early May, a 90-day partial suspension of the trade war was announced, with the US lowering its tariffs to 30%.
So far, the trade war does not seem to have had an impact on overall air cargo volumes as the industry has been riding a wave of front-loading and urgent shipments ahead of the implementation of various tariffs.
Speaking at the recent Air Cargo Europe event, airline executives also commented that air cargo demand had shifted to different markets as the various tariffs had been introduced, with Vietnam often mentioned as one of the big winners of the changes.
