Dimerco reports “strong” peak season momentum

Air cargo demand levels out of Asia have been intensifying in recent weeks, thanks to rising e-commerce demand and retail sales events, according to freight forwarder Dimerco.

The Taiwan-headquartered freight forwarder said that ”peak season momentum is strong across the transpacific” after e-commerce shipments into the US "surged" from the second week of November following black Friday and Thanksgiving retail promotions.

The company expects this trend to continue through early December.

Dimerco added that Southeast Asia remains a major driver of airfreight demand with high-volume flows filling transit hubs Taipei, Hong Kong, Incheon, Narita and Singapore.

Volumes between China and Mexico have also been on the rise, as have intra-Asia volumes, Dimerco said.

Kathy Liu, vice president, global sales and marketing, said: ”Intra-Asia lanes continue to be active, especially between China and Southeast Asia, as raw materials move around the region.

“For 2026 Block Space Agreement (BSA) talks, airlines are indicating that 2026 rates will likely stay close to this year, even though many expect a softer market next year.”

Freight rates on the transpacific have also been rising over recent weeks, in line with the peak season.

In its weekly market update, TAC Index said: "Global airfreight rates edged up again last week as the market completed the first phase of its usual peak season rise into Thanksgiving and Black Friday.

"The market was led higher again by further gains on the biggest lanes out of China, both to Europe and the US. Notwithstanding a brief pause over Thanksgiving, Baltic Airfreight Index spot rates from Hong Kong to the US and Europe continued to rise sharply over the week."

Sources suggest that spot market rates from Hong Kong to the US East Coast have now reached more than $6.90 per kg, compared with around $5.90 per kg a month ago.