Air cargo volumes dip in North America, Asia
The air cargo business in North America and Asia has taken a hit this year, as retailers and manufacturers shift shipments toward lower-cost modes of transportation. For the first five months of this year, airlines based in the Asia Pacific region carried 3.4% less cargo compared to the same period in 2015, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association. Cargo on North American airlines fell 2.3% over the same period. Air freight volumes got a bump early last year as seaports along the US West Coast experienced heavy congestion during union contract negotiations. Asian exporters turned to air routes for reliable shipments to US manufacturing plants. But that growth was short-lived. By late spring 2015, after a new contract was signed and a backlog of cargo ships was cleared at the West Coast seaports, delays eased up and cargo shifted back to its usual patterns. The market now has a glut of capacity, with large air-freight carriers competing with rapidly expanding, low-cost operators out of the Middle East, including Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline. In the first five months of 2016, freight grew 5.9% among Middle East airlines, according to IATA.<br/>
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Air cargo volumes dip in North America, Asia
The air cargo business in North America and Asia has taken a hit this year, as retailers and manufacturers shift shipments toward lower-cost modes of transportation. For the first five months of this year, airlines based in the Asia Pacific region carried 3.4% less cargo compared to the same period in 2015, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association. Cargo on North American airlines fell 2.3% over the same period. Air freight volumes got a bump early last year as seaports along the US West Coast experienced heavy congestion during union contract negotiations. Asian exporters turned to air routes for reliable shipments to US manufacturing plants. But that growth was short-lived. By late spring 2015, after a new contract was signed and a backlog of cargo ships was cleared at the West Coast seaports, delays eased up and cargo shifted back to its usual patterns. The market now has a glut of capacity, with large air-freight carriers competing with rapidly expanding, low-cost operators out of the Middle East, including Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways and Emirates Airline. In the first five months of 2016, freight grew 5.9% among Middle East airlines, according to IATA.<br/>
