Airfreight Insights

The military escalation in the Middle East has led to widespread airspace closures and flight rerouting, causing significant disruptions to air cargo operations, particularly on trade lanes between Asia and Europe. As a result, global air cargo capacity has seen a sharp decrease.
The situation remains fluid and can change constantly.

Our current market analysis

• The conflict has significantly impacted the global air freight market. Immediately after the outbreak, the closure of airspace in the Middle East (specifically Qatar and the UAE) resulted in an 18% loss of global air freight capacity, mainly affecting Qatar Airways, Emirates and Etihad.

• These disruptions are leading to major delays, longer transit times, and severely constrained cargo capacity across the network. Additional charges, including but not limited to increased operational costs, fuel adjustments, congestion surcharges, and rerouting costs, may be applied by freight carriers.

• Additionally, we are also expecting higher fuel surcharges in the coming weeks due to the significant increase in oil prices.

• The most strongly affected trade lanes are, of course, those to and from the Middle East, as most of the capacity on these lanes is held by Middle Eastern carriers, whose airspace has been closed. Furthermore, routes between Europe and Asia are particularly impacted, as these also carriers operate a considerable amount of capacity on these lanes.

• According to the latest updates, some of these carriers have partially resumed flight operations, offering a limited number of flights. Passengers stranded in one of the affected countries are given top priority on these flights.

• From a cargo perspective, time-critical cargo is given top priority, including special commodities such as perishables and pharmaceuticals, as well as any other important goods.

Current market assessment from March 9, 2026:

Current Key Takeaways

Practical Recommendations for Customers

• Land/Air and Air/Air Solutions: We can provide Land-Air transport out of Vietnam (VN) and Thailand (TH), as well as Air-Air solutions via our hub in Thailand. Cargo can originate from China or any Southeast Asian country, with an additional land transit time of 3-5 days.

• Rail Solutions: Rail transport via the Iron Silk Road is a viable alternative for LCL and FCL cargo from Asia (China, South Korea, Vietnam, Japan) to Europe. Although there is a backlog on the CN/KZ border, the transit time is still competitive and varies between 17 and 25 days depending on type of train and routing. Please be aware that due to high demand, rates are increasing and capacity for March is already very tight. We recommend booking as early as possible to secure your allocation.

Your cargo-partner representative is ready to help you navigate the current situation, assess the potential impacts on your supply chain, and secure the best transport solution for your shipments.

cargo-partner Key Gateways

• Dual gateway VIE/BUD to cover the Central and Eastern European region

• Coverage of China by our gateways in South, Central and North China

• Our gateways offer extensive connectivity and advanced infrastructure

• Dedicated gateway teams in Europe and Asia ensure streamlined operations 

• Benefit from regular consolidation programs with competitive pricing