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Tech and urgent shipments support air cargo growth in June

High-value technology and urgent shipments, Middle East network recovery and North America strong performance contributed to year-on-year air cargo demand growth in June, according to IATA. The trade body said that total demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTK), increased by 8.5% compared to June 2025. Demand grew faster than global trade, which increased 5.2% year on year, supported by high-value technology products, and urgent shipments, found IATA. In comparison, capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTK), increased by 4.4% year on year. Capacity growth was "below the pace of demand growth, resulting in higher cargo load factors (CLF)", said IATA. The organisation added: " Supply expanded across most regions, although African carriers reduced available lift." Additionally, jet fuel prices fell by 20% month-on-month, but remained 45.8% above year-earlier levels. Monthly fuel prices eased as oil flows through the Persian Gulf improved, while USD-denominated air cargo yields recorded their first month-on-month decline following a sustained period of increases. Cargo yield, however, remained well above prior-year levels Global manufacturing activity eased slightly in June but remained supportive, while export orders weakened. The Global Manufacturing Output Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell 0.5 points to 53.0, while the New Export Orders Index remained below the 50-mark for a fourth consecutive month at 49.4. "This suggests that air cargo growth was driven by specific trade flows rather than a broad-based increase in global exports," said IATA. Willie Walsh, IATA's director general, commented: "Air cargo demand grew 8.5% year-on-year in June. While North America was the strongest contributor to growth, demand in all regions was in positive territory compared to last year. "Demand growth outpaced capacity at the global level and in all regions except Latin America and the Caribbean. Demand also grew faster than global trade, supported by high-value technology products, and urgent shipments. "While this all gives strong reasons for optimism in the second half of 2026, risks remain -- continuing hostilities in the Middle East and a renewed focus on tariffs by the US among them." Regional performance International cargo traffic expanded by 9.6% year on year. "North American carriers led growth, while the sharp acceleration among Middle Eastern carriers marked the most significant regional improvement on YoY growth," said IATA. Asia-Pacific airlines saw a 7.9% year-on-year growth in air cargo demand in June. Capacity increased by 4.3% year-on-year. North American carriers saw a 13.1% year-on-year increase in air cargo demand in June, the strongest performance of all regions. Capacity increased by 6.2% year-on-year. European carriers saw a 6.9% year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo in June. Capacity increased by 3.7% year-on-year. Middle Eastern carriers saw a 5.6% year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo in June. Capacity increased by 2.5% year-on-year. While the results for the month were in growth territory, they are skewed to the positive as the comparison is to June 2025 which was particularly weak for carriers in the Middle East as a result of disruptions due to military conflict. Latin American and Caribbean carriers saw a 3.5% year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo in June, the weakest performance of all regions. Capacity increased by 9.8% year-on-year. African airlines saw a 4.7% year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo in June. Capacity decreased by -7.1% year-on-year. Air cargo performance diverged across major trade lanes in June. Asia-North America recorded the strongest growth, followed by Within Asia, Europe-Asia, and Africa-Asia. In contrast, Gulf-linked corridors remained disrupted by the conflict in the Middle East. The Asia-North America trade lane was up 14.7% year on year, with five consecutive months of growth, while the Europe-Middle East trade lane was down 41.1%, and recorded four consecutive months of contraction.

National Airlines takes delivery of third Boeing 777-200F

National Airlines has taken delivery of its third Boeing 777-200 freighter within four months and expects to add a fourth 777F in the coming months. The aircraft, registered N795CA, entered commercial service on 30 July by operating a charter flight to the Middle East. Florida-based National Airlines ordered four newbuild 777-200Fs in 2024. The airline was presented with its first 777F in April at a special delivery event at a Boeing factory in Seattle, US. The quick delivery of the second and third 777Fs, and the expected fourth 777F, will support the airline's growing presence in the international air cargo market and enable it to transport oversized, high-value, humanitarian, aerospace, energy, automotive, pharmaceutical, and other specialised cargo. Christopher Alf, chairman of National Airlines, said: "The delivery of our third Boeing 777 Freighter represents another important milestone in our strategic growth journey and reflects our continued investment in building one of the world's most capable and versatile charter cargo fleets. "As customer demand for reliable and customized air cargo solutions continues to grow, the Boeing 777 Freighter provides the performance, efficiency, and global reach required to support complex logistics operations across diverse industries. "We extend our sincere appreciation to Boeing, GE Aerospace, and all of our valued partners whose collaboration has made this achievement possible." National Airlines, part of National Air Cargo, now operates a fleet of three 777-200Fs, nine Boeing 747Fs, plus Airbus A330-300 and A330-200 passenger aircraft to enable it to provide tailored global cargo and passenger charter solutions.

CH Robinson says AI already paying dividends as rivals focus on resilience

Just days after Kuehne+Nagel told investors artificial intelligence could generate Sfr100m-150m ($123m-$184m) in annual productivity gains by the end of 2027, CH Robinson has gone a step further, claiming the technology is already delivering measurable operational and financial benefits. The US forwarder devoted much of its second-quarter earnings call to AI, repeatedly linking it to productivity improvements, margin expansion and market share gains. Yet results from fellow forwarders Logwin and Geodis, also published this week, made little mention of the technology, instead highlighting resilient operations, network expansion, and customer demand. "We achieved [these results] through disciplined execution of our Lean AI strategy, which has enabled us to identify and remove waste and to automate manual processes in the quote-to-cash life cycle of an order," CH Robinson CEO Dave Bozeman told analysts. "The result has been evergreen productivity improvements of over 60% since the end of 2022 in both North American Surface Transportation (NAST) and Global Forwarding." Mr Bozeman said the strategy had created "a scalable model with significant operating leverage", helping the company increase adjusted operating income by nearly 20% year on year, while improving customer service and extending its market share gains in NAST to a 13th consecutive quarter. Chief strategy and innovation officer Arun Rajan said the company's competitive advantage lay not simply in 'using' AI. "Our AI agents are powered by proprietary data, deep logistics expertise, and an engineered context layer that simply cannot be purchased or built overnight," he said. "We don't just treat AI as another tool. We make it part of how we run the business." Rather than relying on a single autonomous system, CH Robinson said it had "hundreds of AI agents trained to perform very specific jobs across the shipment life cycle, with defined responsibilities, clear guardrails, and access to the operational context needed to do those jobs well". Mr Rajan added: "Humans remain in the loop where judgment, exception management, and customer nuance matter most." The company also highlighted what it claimed was the world's first "closed-loop agentic logistics system", combining AI planning and engineering tools to assess entire supply chains in 25 to 30 minutes, rather than four weeks. Meanwhile, the differing narratives came as all three companies reported respectable financial performances. CH Robinson increased second-quarter revenue by 19.3% year on year, to $4.9bn, which it credited to higher pricing in truckload, LTL and air and ocean. Adjusted gross profit rose 6.5%, to $738m, and adjusted operating income climbed 20%. Both its NAST and Global Forwarding divisions achieved their "mid-cycle operating margin targets", enabling the company to reaffirm its full-year operating income guidance. Global Forwarding revenue rose 12.4%, to $896.6m, owing to higher pricing, while adjusted gross profit increased just 0.7%, to $188.8m. Ocean gross profits fell 2.8%, as profit per shipment dropped 4%. Air gross profit went up 23.4%, with a 33.5% increase in profit per tonne - although it shipped 7.5% fewer tonnes. Geodis did not publish full results, but did disclose revenues of €5.3bn - although underlying revenue was down 1.4% at constant scope and exchange rates. It maintained an EBITDA margin of 10%, despite what it described as an uncertain market environment. The French logistics group highlighted its investments in healthcare logistics, its Le Havre logistics hub, acquisitions, and customer-facing digital services - but AI was largely absent from its results presentation. The contrast illustrates how differently major logistics providers are choosing to present themselves to investors and the market. While K+N is beginning to quantify the productivity gains it expects AI to deliver, CH Robinson's gains are already showing in its results. Logwin and Geodis focused on network expansion, operational resilience, and navigating volatile freight markets. Logwin reported first-half revenue of €737.4m, up 6.5% year on year, driven by stronger air and ocean freight business and higher freight rates. However, EBITA fell, from €42.5m to €38m, as competitive pressures squeezed margins. Some forwarders continue to focus on networks and resilience; others increasingly want to be seen as technology-first companies that move freight.