Protests against Schengen travel restrictions disrupt road freight flows, pushing shippers to secure B737 and A321 freighter capacity
Air charter tech firm CharterSync has noted a surge in cargo requests as a result of truck blockades in the western Balkans.
Truck drivers Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia on Monday blocked more than 20 border crossings with the European Union (EU) to protest the enforcement of Schengen area travel limits.
The blockades are impacting supply chains heading from the Balkans into Europe and vice versa, but also those connecting the bloc to Turkey and the Middle East and into Greece.
Charter flight booking platform CharterSync said it had seen a “clear and measurable uplift in charter demand linked to the border disruption”.
According to CharterSync founder Ed Gillett, across intra-European movements on the CharterSync platform, 42% of requests were driven primarily by automotive exports, with shippers looking to keep just-in-time supply chains moving from Serbia into Germany, France and Spain.
”The majority of these movements are being flown on Boeing 737 freighters and Airbus A321 freighters, typically carrying around 10,000kg per flight," said Gillett.
"Demand for these aircraft types has increased sharply at short notice. While capacity does exist, availability has become more challenging, particularly due to crew constraints, and this has pushed charter prices up as operators prioritise urgent automotive cargo."
CharterSync said it is "actively supporting ongoing operations" and is overseeing an Airbus A321F flight into Frankfurt later this evening.
Transport associations from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia say the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES) is threatening their ability to operate.
At present, drivers from outside the Schengen area are limited to a maximum of 90 days in the EU within a 180-day period. The truckers want an extension to the 90-day limit. The blockade is described as open-ended.
The 90 limit has been increasingly strictly enforced since the EU adopted a new digital border system.
