HANGZHOU, CHINA - APRIL 6, 2023 - A Cargo plane of Maersk AIR Cargo is seen at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, April 6, 2023.
The current spike in use of air freight is primarily in cargo volumes bound for Europe, as more companies avoid the longer Red Sea diversions around Africa's Cape of Good Hope, according to Xeneta, a leading ocean and air freight rate benchmarking platforms.
Air freight tends to be "quieter" in the last week of December and the first week of January, according to Niall van de Wouw, chief air freight officer for Xeneta.
"If the Rea Sea crisis continues, you'll have more and more companies getting nervous," van de Wouw said.
Xeneta data shows that air cargo volumes on the major apparel route from Vietnam to Europe spiked 62% in the week ending January 14 — 6% higher than 2023's peak week in October.
Persons:
Maersk, Good Hope, Niall van de Wouw, van de Wouw, Van de Wouw
Organizations:
Maersk AIR Cargo, Hangzhou Xiaoshan International, Getty
Locations:
HANGZHOU, CHINA, Maersk, Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, Europe, Africa's, Good, Vietnam