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Despite, and partly because of, ongoing turbulence, air cargo keeps going strong. The industry flew through 2021 with an 18.7% increase in traffic over 2020 and 6.9% higher than in 2019. According to IATA, growth was well ahead of the rise in global trade.

2022 has continued in this vein and predictions are for more of the same at least for the first half of the year. IATA conducted a survey of airline chief financial officers and heads of cargo in December and January, who reported improved passenger and cargo volumes and expressed optimism that cargo yields would remain at lofty heights.

The air cargo industry is soaring on strong fundamentals. Inventory-to-sales ratios remain at low levels, necessitating ongoing re-stocking, with strong impetus from economic growth and rising glocargobal trade. In addition, the congestion that has plagued ocean cargo over the past year is not expected to abate significantly in the near term, with some voices predicting this to last through 2022, which promises elevated need for airfreight.

This spells continuing pressure on capacity, even though passenger airlines are in recovery mode. Aviation intelligence firm IBA predicts capacity of US and European low-cost airlines to exceed pre-Covid levels this year and transatlantic passenger traffic to recover to 2019 levels. However, Asia Pacific carriers continue to limp, with some not expected to reach half of their 2019 capacity this year.

[ED: On top of this is the invasion of Ukraine, which has severely limited AirBridgeCargo’s and Volga-Dnepr’s capacity while other airlines are scrambling to maintain services with extended routings to avoid Russian or European airspace.]

The experience with the Omicron variant was a powerful illustration how volatile the situation remains. Stringent Covid-related restrictions have severely hobbled Cathay Pacific’s longhaul freighter operations for months and Lufthansa Cargo had to embargo flows through its Frankfurt hub in late January after an Omicron outbreak decimated ground staff there.

The inevitable hunt for capacity is keeping rates in the stratosphere, and the trajectory of the oil price is adding fuel to the fire. Shippers are bracing themselves for more squeeze on their wallets. For the red-hot trucking industry, which has shown similar capacity pressures as airfreight, a recent survey reported that 97% of shippers expected to increase their freight procurement budget this year, more than half anticipating increases of 25% or more.

Forwarders are responding to the situation with moves to tie up more dedicated lift, from large players like Flexport to mid-sized companies like cargo-partner.

The scramble for capacity will go on. Those that have automated processes will find the going somewhat less strenuous.

Source: www.aircargo.com

Image: www.pixybay.com

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A surge in demand for consumer goods during the pandemic has created major supply bottlenecks around the world, which has impacted the supply of container ships and boxes to transport cargo.

Shipping and port officials expect global supply chain disruptions to extend into 2022.

“The current surge in freight rates will have a profound impact on trade and undermine socioeconomic recovery, especially in developing countries, until maritime shipping operations return to normal,” said UNCTAD Secretary General Rebeca Grynspan.

In its Review of Maritime Transport for 2021, UNCTAD said that the current surge in container freight rates, if sustained, could increase global import price levels by 11% and consumer price levels by 1.5% between now and 2023.

“The impact is expected to be more significant for smaller economies that depend heavily on imported goods for much of their consumption needs,” it said.

UNCTAD said maritime supply chain stakeholders including container lines, ports, inland transport providers, customs and shippers “should work together to share information and make maritime transport more efficient”.

“In the face of these cost pressures and lasting market disruption, it is increasingly important to monitor market behavior and ensure transparency when it comes to setting rates, fees and surcharges,” it said.

Source: www.marinelink.com

Image: www.pexel.com

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Container cargo processed at the seaports reached 7.29 million twenty-foot-equivalent units (TEUs) in the January-March period, rising from the previous year’s 7.19 TEUs.

Processed export-import cargo jumped 4.5 percent on-year to reach 4.24 million TEUs in the first quarter, the increase was attributed to the growth in trade with China and Canada.

South Korea said it expects the amount of container cargo processed at seaports to continue to rise down the road in line with the global vaccine inoculation program, coupled with economic stimulus measures by major economies.

Image from www.pexels.com

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The positive development of the group’s businesses seen in the fourth quarter 2020 has continued well through the first quarter 2021. In the first three months of the year the B2C shipment volumes remained high in all networks while the recovery in the B2B business continued.

“The start to the new financial year was more dynamic than ever. It proves that we have successfully geared our business to the right growth drivers. One year into the pandemic we experienced in the first quarter 2021 a sustained momentum in e-commerce and a significant stabilization in global trade with increasing air- and sea-freight volumes. Consequently all divisions reported a significant jump in earnings above market expectations. Global trade continues to recover and vaccine distribution is in full swing which makes me very optimistic for the rest of 2021 and beyond,” said Frank Appel, CEO of Deutsche Post DHL Group.

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