News

ㅤ Chinese low-value e-commerce air exports are losing momentum

Volumes are -4% YTD to September, driven by Europe after the EU’s €3 per-item-type duty took effect in July ✈️ Low-value e-commerce to Europe fell 50% in September ✈️ Europe low-value volumes grew in H1, but are -14% YTD ✈️ North America low-value volumes are back to 2025 levels…

ㅤ Europe has overtaken Asia as the biggest air market for Korean beauty products

South Korea flew 57k tonnes of beauty and personal care products abroad in 2026 so far, up 47% year-on-year. Products go everywhere, with growth mainly coming from U.S. and Europe: - Europe +104%. Volumes doubled to ~19k tonnes, and Europe now ranks first, ahead of Asia Pacific.

ㅤ Global air trade lane imbalances continue to widen

but salmon is giving the eastbound Europe-Asia leg some respite: Salmon air trade is up 9% so far, and China takes 90% of the growth. The underlying lanes are materially shifting though: - Norway-China +55%, covering for a 21% decline of Norway-U.S.

‎ 💡 AeveanInsight - the latest China's e-commerce data just came in: a 16% drop in August (the…

steepest year-on-year decline seen so far), mainly driven by a 40% decline to Europe. Other lanes (to Asia Pacific, North and Latin America, Middle East and South Asia) are flat or at modest declines. Africa (+71%) is the positive outlier, albeit from a small base.

💡 33 freighters a day: the amount of data center-related air trade to the U.S, in July

This in contrast to the 29% drop in EU-bound e-commerce volumes, also in July. 🎙️ See below where Maarten discusses these two diverging air cargo trends with Michael King of The Freight Buyers' Club Podcast in Liège last week.

‎ Aevean's latest insight shows U.S

data center-related air imports hit 107k tonnes in July, the equivalent of 33(!!) freighters a day. This is the driver of air trade growth right now. GPUs, servers and networking gear, all high-value and time-critical.

‎ China-Europe e-commerce volumes fell 24% year-on-year in July, the month the EU-wide customs duty took effect

The slowdown was already well underway, however. Aevean data shows France has been declining since March, when "la taxe sur les petits colis" landed, and most of its neighbouring markets were falling before the EU-wide duty replaced that tax on 1 July.

Aevean is #hiring and we're looking for two roles to join the team: Are you ready to help shape the future of air cargo?

Apply through the links in the comments. → Strategy Consultant (2–4 years in consulting or aviation/logistics): frame client questions, pressure-test hypotheses, and steer analyses toward actionable answers for client leadership.

Aevean turned two this summer!

🎉 We used the monthly all-hands today to look back at a year we're proud of, and more importantly, at the path ahead. Fittingly celebrated with one of these fancy Aevean cupcakes. 🧁 PS: we're #hiring! We're expanding the consulting team in Amsterdam.

Conference season is starting, and it's a busy one for Aevean: four conferences, diverse topics and different speakers

Here's where you'll find us in September 👇 📍 Maarten at EU Cross-Border E-Commerce Forum 🗓️ 8-10 September · Liège, Belgium 📍 Calvert at Cargo Experts Conference by International Air Transport Association (IATA) 🗓️ 23-24 September · Budapest, Hungary 📍 Hao Tzer at the Ishka…

‎ Thinking of those affected by Typhoon Dolphin as it made landfall in China this week

especially our air cargo peers at Shanghai Pudong (PVG), one of the world's busiest cargo airports. Aevean's data shows international outbound cargo capacity at PVG fell 40% over August 9-10 versus the prior 2-week average.

We're proud to share that Hao Tzer Ong, Manager and Air Cargo Specialist at Aevean

is speaking at the Ishka Airfinance Events Asia in Singapore. He'll join the Freighter Forum panel on 24 September, discussing the cargo market outlook alongside speakers from Alibaba International Digital Commerce, Atlas Air and Titan Aviation Leasing.

Last week our Kuala Lumpur-based team spent time on the ground with MAB Kargo (MASkargo)

getting a first-hand look at their cargo operations at KLIA. It's always great seeing an operation in person: the movements on the tarmac, the flow across the warehouse, the handling of specialised freight, and the people who make it all move.

‎ Freighter capacity into Europe is thinning out this summer

with the EU €3 customs duty for low-value parcels as key driver.

‎ With the FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States kicking off this week

Aevean scouted air cargo growth for the FIFA top 10 to find out who's already on the ball: ⚽ 7 of the world's best football nations are playing the same formation: Apparel & Footwear air imports top their growth charts, almost entirely driven by #ecommerce.

Marco and Hao Tzer are heading to #Shanghai next week for transport logistic

project cargo & air cargo Shanghai (China). They're looking forward to meeting our partners in the industry, and if you are keen to learn more about the latest Aevean offering - don't hesitate to connect!

Watch this space: Data center servers and racks for AI demand are accelerating air freight demand…

strongly on Transpacific.

Great to participate in the Executive Summit by The International Air Cargo Association TIACA in Warsaw

with Calvert looking to share market insights with participants from across the industry. I look forward to speaking at the TIACA Executive Summit, taking place June 1-3 in Warsaw on behalf of Aevean, sharing insights and connecting with colleagues from across the industry.

Marco is speaking at the opening plenary of the #CNSPartnership Conference next week

sharing Aevean insights in his presentation on 'Air cargo market dynamics in a volatile world'. Make sure to connect to learn more about our latest market intelligence releases and recent market trends. We hope to see you there! 👋

✈️ Aevean is hiring a Strategy Consultant for its Amsterdam-based team!

We advise leading airlines and logistics players on the decisions that shape their future: network strategy, fleet planning, commercial optimization, and sustainability.

International air cargo capacity, departing from selected Gulf airports

Gulf airport cargo capacity collapsed at conflict onset and, despite a ceasefire, recovery remains a slow, long-term process.

Middle East airports account for largest capacity shifts globally

Gulf conflict-driven fuel costs are hammering Middle East cargo capacity, even as Muscat, Istanbul, and Hanoi post notable growth.

Additional capacity on Europe-APAC mainly driven by European carriers and integrators

Europe-APAC capacity is up 31%, with integrators and European carriers leading the way.

Aevean heads to the Nordic Air Cargo Symposium – Baltic Edition

Calvert will be speaking in Riga on 27–28 April on the latest developments in Nordic and Baltic air cargo.

E-commerce volumes surged to 5.4M tonnes in 2025, representing ~18% of international air cargo

Now a primary growth engine, e-commerce accounted for nearly half of all air shipments to North America and Europe last year.

Perishables, pharma and e-commerce in the spotlight at IATAWCS

Maarten shares how salmon demand added 250k tonnes to air trade and e-commerce hit 5M+ tonnes, now 18% of international air cargo.

Gulf airspace disruptions and tech-driven US imports headline air cargo trends

Marco takes the stage at IATAWCS as capacity on Asia–Middle East–Europe stays 25% below pre-CNY levels.

Continued Gulf airspace closures affect capacity on key lanes

Overall capacity on the Asia–Middle East–Europe corridor is down 39%, with Middle East & South Asia routes hit hardest at ~60%.

Meet us at the IATA World Cargo Symposium

Marco, Maarten and Koen are heading to Lima (10–12 March) to share insights on market trends, special cargo, and e-commerce.

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

Europe (+21%) and MESA (+17%) bucked the trend as North America and domestic China saw capacity decline ahead of the holidays.

Valentine's Rush: Charters from Quito and Bogotá take off

Flower export season is in full swing as charter flights now account for nearly half of all outbound air cargo capacity from South America's key floral hubs.

Severe US winter weather causes major cargo capacity disruptions at key airports

Integrator hubs hit hardest, with Memphis, Cincinnati and Louisville facing up to 80% capacity reductions and more disruptions ahead as a new storm approaches the East Coast.

Global air cargo capacity is up ~4% in early 2026, driven by continued growth on Asia–Middle East–Europe corridor

Widebody passenger aircraft lead the expansion, while airline freighters grow more modestly with clear regional differences.

Snow sees Schiphol (AMS) Airport cancel ~50% of flights

As winter takes its toll on Amsterdam Schiphol, find out how cargo capacity has been affected.

Aevean wishes you happy holidays!

Before we head into the new year, here's six striking numbers that reveal what happened in the air cargo industry in 2025.

44% of global air trade touches China in 2025, up from 36% in 2019 and driven by low-value e-commerce growth

China has consolidated its role in global air trade

Domestic U.S. integrator capacity at -3% after MD-11F grounding.

Almost all grounded domestic U.S. integrator capacity replaced by smaller-gauge freighters

Our first global offsite

The global Aevean team got together in Phu Quoc

Aevean is at Air Cargo Forum 2025

We are looking forward to meeting our industry partners at The International Air Cargo Association TIACA's Air Cargo Forum!

US share of ex-China e-commerce declines to 15%, down from 31% in 2024

Big shifts in ecommerce volumes registered in July

US air imports in June up 8% YoY

Tariffs continue to impact industry dynamics, namely by causing a shift in US high-tech electronics sourcing

Press Release: Aevean Appoints Koen Jansen as Senior Account Manager

Aviation and logistics expert joins Aevean to accelerate the growth of its data and tool suite

New round of U.S. tariffs put major exporting countries at risk

including several high-tonnage trans-Pacific exporters

US air imports from the EU up 16% April-May 2025 vs 2024 despite new tariffs

driven by Italy & France

Aevean is 1 year old!

US air imports grew 8% in April-May YoY; laptops from Vietnam and handbags from Italy/France drive key volumes

Vietnam and Italy/France drive key volumes

Press Release: Aevean Appoints Richard McNamara as Head of Data Analytics

Aviation and Logistics Expert Joins Aevean’s Management Team

43% drop in US imports of China low-value e-commerce at de-minimis termination

China-USA low value e-commerce decline of 40%+, due to ending de minimis exemption on May 2, has been mostly offset with growth to other markets in the world.

India is now the largest exporter of smartphones to the U.S.

Following strong growth since December 2024, India has recently overtaken China as largest smartphone exporter to the U.S.

Vietnam becomes key air trading partner to US for laptops

laptop exports to US surge by ~8,000 tonnes in March and April, an equivalent of ±1.5 widebody freighter flight per day

China-U.S. air cargo falls 15% in April amidst tariff peak

China-US air cargo declines by ±10k tonnes in April 2025 vs last year, an equivalent of ±100 widebody freighters, driven by a 50%+ drop in laptops & smartphone volumes

Freighter utilization is rebounding from the early May tariff spike

An additional ~10 freighters per day had marginal operations during US-China retaliatory tariff peak, usage has since rebounded by +22% after tariff de-escalation

Aevean is at Air Cargo Europe in Munich

Marco Bloemen, Calvert Holt and Maarten Wormer will be at Messe Muenchen for Air Cargo Europe from June 2-5 2025, and we're looking forward to connecting.

Aevean in the news!

Marco connected with Lisa Barrington (Reuters) to share our latest perspectives on the recent aircargo and ecommerce trends on the transpacific. Stay tuned for more AeveanInsights?!

China and US lower reciprocal tariffs

Starting today, China and US have substantially lowered reciprocal tariffs on air cargo and e-commerce shipments: e-commerce cleared under the de-minimis exemption is anticipated to be cleared as air freight (at 30%, +$6 per shipment) by default, instead of utilizing the postal network (+$11-100 per shipment)

Meet team Aevean!

the team members in our Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam offices, committed to provide value to our clients in the aviation and logistics industry ✈️

US tariff exemptions on consumer technology and semiconductors

Tariffs and their implications are one of our key talking points at the IATA World Cargo Symposium

Aevean is at the IATA World Cargo Symposium

Marco Bloemen is taking the stage at the IATA WCS to share Aevean's ket trends and developments

Tariffs unveiled on "Liberation Day"

New U.S. tariffs to impact global air cargo flows, with significant value of China, Taiwan and Vietnam at stake

Turbulent start of the week at German airports

Monday turned out to be a turbulent start of the week at German airports, as thousands of flights were cancelled due to a nationwide strike

Capacity shift has already been observed

After Chinese New Year, carriers shifted their capacity away from transpacific markets.

20% U.S. tariff on China remains in effect

High-tech goods most affected air import segment by 20% tariff on Chinese imports to the US

Aevean is at WCA Conference in Dubai

Marco Bloemen will take the stage sharing Aevean's insights on air cargo trends at the World Cargo Alliance Conference organised by WCA in Dubai next week!

US tariffs impact roughly 1M tonnes of US air imports

±1M tonnes of U.S. air imports affected as the U.S. imposes tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China, effective February 4

Opening of Aevean office in Kuala Lumpur

Ecommerce: 4 million tonnes

International E-commerce air cargo demand has surged beyond 4 million tonnes in 2024, growing by 36% compared to 2023