The availability of widebody freighter capacity on the transpacific trade lane continues to rebound, though it has not yet reached the levels observed during the same period last year.
According to data from consultancy and analytics provider Rotate, widebody freighter capacity between the Asia-Pacific region and North America increased by 18% over the past 24 hours compared to the same period last week. This growth is equivalent to an addition of 10 widebody freighter flights.
Recent Declines and Recovery Trends
Last week, air carriers rapidly scaled back capacity in response to reduced demand following the U.S. government’s termination of the de minimis exemption for e-commerce shipments originating from China. The exemption’s removal coincided with the imposition of steep tariffs of 145% on other imports in April, further dampening demand.
At its lowest point early last week, transpacific freighter capacity fell by 40 daily flights compared to the April average. This reduction represented a shortfall of approximately 4,000 tonnes per day, or 40% of previously operated capacity.
The Labor Day holidays in China two weeks ago also contributed to the temporary decline in capacity, with a subsequent rebound likely driven by pent-up demand following the holiday period.
Policy Adjustments and Market Reactions
Following negotiations between the U.S. and China last weekend, tariffs for de minimis shipments transported via postal networks—primarily consisting of e-commerce parcels—were reduced to 54% (or a flat fee of $100), down from the previous rate of 120%. Non-postal e-commerce shipments under the de minimis threshold will now face a 30% tariff, aligning with the overall U.S. tariff rate for goods imported from China.
Year-on-Year Comparisons
Despite the recent recovery in capacity, the current levels remain lower than those recorded a year ago. Rotate's data indicates that widebody freighter capacity on the transpacific trade lane as of Thursday, May 15, was 10% below last year’s levels, equivalent to a shortfall of 10 freighter flights.
When including widebody passenger aircraft capacity, the year-on-year gap narrows slightly to 7%.
Source: https://www.aircargonews.net/data-news/transpacific-air-cargo-capacity-continues-to-recover-but-still-lags-last-year/1080126.article
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