18 February 2026

Ex-China capacity to MESA and Europe surged as transpacific capacity declined ahead of CNY

The aircargo capacity slowdown during Chinese new year is a predictable annual trend, but the regional shifts leading up to it tell a more interesting story:

While North America (-3%) and domestic China (-6%) saw capacity contract, demand to other regions surged. Europe (+21%) and Middle East & South Asia destinations (+17%) experienced notable growth, clearly signaling the direction of volumes ahead of the holidays.