Ocean to air conversions surge as box congestion issues worsen

Air freight exports from China and other parts of Asia are picking up again as worsening congestion and capacity issues add to backlogs of ocean freight cargo and increase the volumes of ocean-to-air freight conversions – increasingly including some non-premium consumer goods being shipped by air.

European air freight forwarder Senator International is among several recently highlighting the surge in ocean to air conversions, noting that “the situation in China’s ports – especially Yantian-Shenzhen region – is having a massive impact on supply chains worldwide. Cargo is already switching to air freight in some cases. Demand for air freight to South Africa is also expected to increase again due to delays in sea freight.”

And its latest air freight market update yesterday, US freight forwarder Flexport noted that air exports from north and south China were “picking up and showing stronger demand towards (the) month- and quarter end”, highlighting that the “backlog in ocean markets adds incremental demand due to ocean-to-air conversions”.

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