The airfreight market across Asia is facing rising pressure as prices rise, fuel surcharges are rolled out and capacity continues to tighten as a result of the conflict in the Middle East.
Taiwan-headquartered freight forwarder Dimerco said that air cargo conditions are becoming more constrained in Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia as higher fuel costs, longer routings and service adjustments reduce effective capacity.
The company said that the rising prices were being driven by market conditions rather than a broad demand surge.
“Logistics providers may implement emergency surcharges amid rising fuel costs and operational uncertainty,” said the firm’s vice president of global sales and marketing Kathy Liu.
“While demand remains flat or below last year, capacity constraints and higher fuel costs are expected to keep airfreight rates elevated.”
In Taiwan, disruptions through Middle East hubs and rising fuel surcharges are pushing airfreight rate increases of roughly 20% to 30%, especially for electronics and urgent cargo, Dimerco said.
South Korea is also seeing tighter capacity on US and South Asia lanes, while several Southeast Asian markets are facing backlog conditions, shorter rate validity and earlier booking requirements.
Out of north China, Dimerco said that overall demand remains stable, with soft capacity across most Asia and US lanes keeping rates stable, while European lanes are tightening with rising rates, driven by airspace disruptions and rerouting due to Middle East conflicts, reducing effective payload and capacity.
In east China, payload restrictions are “severe” due to the rising prices of fuel, significantly reducing effective capacity and tightening supply across most lanes.
And in South China, demand is strengthening, driven mostly by the e-commerce cargo growth, while capacity is largely stable overall, with major carriers – with the exception of Middle East airlines – operating normally.
Regional lanes remain stable in both capacity and rates, while Europe and the US lanes are tight with rising rates, indicating stronger outbound pressure.
In Southeast Asia, capacity remains tight due to rerouting and demand surges, with fuel surcharges increasing and driving higher and more unstable rates.
Dimerco said that advance booking (5–7 days) is required to secure space and bookings should be placed immediately upon rate confirmation due to rate volatility.
In India, airfreight rates have very short validity (24–48 hours), requiring immediate confirmation, Dimerco said, adding that there is also the risk of storage charges due to frequent schedule changes.
Source: https://www.aircargonews.net/freight-forwarder/2026/04/asian-airfreight-market-faces-rising-pressure/
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