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Airfreight begins first sign of YoY growth

According to CLIVE Data Services, the air cargo industry ended 2020 on a positive note with weekly volumes growing for the first time in more than a year.

Freight was up 8 per cnet YoY between December 21 and Jan 3, and the impact from the shipment of COVID-19 vaccines has so far been minimal.

Meanwhile the ‘dynamic’ air cargo load factor reached a record high of 73% in mid-December.

“For an industry looking for every glimmer of positivity, December’s data provided some modest growth indicators,” Niall van de Wouw, managing director of CLIVE Data Services said.

“December’s performance was surprisingly strong compared to the flattish level recorded in November and, in the second half of the month, volumes didn’t fall as much as we’d typically anticipate for this normally quieter time of year,

“To outside observers looking at 2020, increasing airline revenues, at a time of decreasing volumes, may seem a contradiction. But it is logical considering the rise in the dynamic load factor, where demand and supply come together.”

According to CLIVE, demand was down 5 per cent year on year, but there was a continued closing of the gap from the low of April when volumes were 37% behind a year earlier.

Niall said that pricing from Asia to the US is still the highest, followed by Asia to Europe and, lastly, the Transatlantic, with the highest prices reached in week 51.

 

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