The air cargo market faces significant challenges due to weak demand and declining external demand impacting overall growth. However, the rise of cross-border e-commerce brings new driving forces to the industry. In the future, innovative policies and facility optimization will be necessary to adapt to market changes.
Facing sluggish demand, freight industry giants are hoping for a recovery in 2026 and adopting 'wintering' strategies such as cost control and operational optimization. However, challenges such as supply-demand imbalances and overcapacity persist. Whether the industry can overcome these difficulties ultimately depends on market equilibrium and the efforts of the companies themselves.
This article examines the supply chain challenges faced by retailers during the transition from summer to the holiday shopping season, analyzing the significance of transportation capacity, inventory management, and human resource management. By implementing advanced planning, demand forecasting, and flexible response strategies, retailers can optimize operations and better respond to changes in seasonal demand.
The 2023 air cargo peak season is facing weak rebound, with shippers placing orders early indicating a slowdown in demand and freight rates not rising as expected. Although some airlines benefit from e-commerce demand, the overall cargo market remains complex and volatile, with future growth constrained by a slowdown in manufacturing and various supply chain issues.
In Q1 2025, the freight market appears stable on the surface but is hiding underlying uncertainties, with weak demand and limited supply. Although short-term demand has risen, the ongoing decline reflects shippers' lack of confidence in the market. The overall industry is in a state of adjustment but is facing greater tension, making flexible operational models increasingly important.
The global container shortage is severe, leading to a significant increase in demand for owned containers among shippers, while the number of freight forwarders able to provide this service remains limited. The report analyzes that using owned containers can effectively reduce logistics costs and minimize detention fees, urging freight forwarders to enhance the utilization of Shipper Owned Containers (SOC) to address market challenges.
At the beginning of 2025, the global tanker market faces uncertainty, with marked divergence in the performance of crude and product oil tanker stocks. Product oil tankers are pressured by an increase in new vessel deliveries and a slowdown in demand growth, while crude oil tankers show a more positive outlook due to recovering demand and turbulence in the international market.
In October 2023, China's warehousing index reached 52.8%, marking a three-month high and reflecting the healthy growth of the industry. Inventory levels, business profits, and the number of employees have all increased, indicating a recovery in market demand. With rising demand and the approach of the Double Eleven shopping festival, the future outlook for warehousing services is generally optimistic.
US container freight volume increased by 13.4% in September, marking the 13th consecutive month of growth, driven by robust consumer demand. The booming consumer goods market highlights the strength of the US economy. However, this surge in demand also warrants careful monitoring of potential supply chain risks and bottlenecks to ensure continued smooth operations and prevent disruptions in the flow of goods.
The surge in China-US ocean freight rates stems from pandemic-induced supply-demand imbalances, leading to reduced shipping capacity, port congestion, and surging demand. This intensifies cost pressures on exporters, drives up consumer prices, and disrupts supply chains. Mitigation strategies include increasing shipping capacity, optimizing port operations, strengthening international cooperation, and promoting digital transformation to stabilize the global trade chain.
