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Asia Pacific the star performer as airfreight rates take off

Surging jet fuel prices have added to the upward pressures that have seen global airfreight rates climb above the highs of the previous two peak seasons, as the industry enters its busiest period of the year. Figures from the latest TAC-compiled Baltic Air Freight Index and World ACD indicate that rates have been rising by between 4% and 4.7% over the past fortnight, up some 26% compared with the same period of 2025. Covering the period from 12-18 October, WorldACD noted chargeable weight and available capacity was up 2% week on week, with carriers having opted to expand freighter operations following two consecutive weeks of reductions. TAC said the index had already surpassed the highs recorded over the previous two peak seasons in the run-up to both Thanksgiving and Christmas, with jet fuel prices having a part to play after more than doubling year on year, up 113%, said IATA. The index noted that together with fuel increases, disruption thrown up by conflicts in Europe and the Middle East was creating a floor for airfreight rates, and that carrier s were not prepared to sink beneath that in a dash for volumes. On a market by market basis, there is one clear frontrunner - Asia-Pacific exports to the US up 10% week on week, with Europe-bound volumes climbing 13%, while Hong Kong-US and mainland China-US up 27% and 18%, respectively. Annually, the performance looks strong too, with Asia-Pacific volumes to the US 14% higher than a year ago, helping to drive rates on the trade up 41% year on year, and 6% week on week, according to WorldACD. Globally the situation looks fairly rosy too, with rates 30% higher than they were in 2025, but the indices also show that there is one region struggling for the same sort of momentum, as Asia-Europe rates could only muster a 1% week-on-week increase. That may not be too surprising, given that Asia Pacific-Europe volumes are dwindling some 16% lower than they were this time last year, despite the weekly recovery following China's Golden Week holiday. WorldACD put some of the weakness down to EU measures aimed at curbing low-value ecommerce imports, although the divergence also suggests that the current rate environment is not being driven by a uniform increase in global demand. But, with the general upturn coinciding with carriers and forwarders prepping for a traditional year-end peak, forwarders will need to determine whether increases are being driven by underlying demand, or tighter capacity on particular routes.

CH Robinson invests in AI to speed up air cargo quoting

CH Robinson has continued its investment in AI with new agents for its freight forwarding business that it claims speed up the quoting process for air cargo shipments. The US forwarder said that its AI systems have so far determined and delivered over 80,000 price quotes for over 3,600 customers. "Quotes that used to take a day for an air shipment and two to three days for an ocean shipment now take two to three minutes," the company said. AI is also being implemented to help with customs document processing, which has become more labour-intensive with new trade agreements, layers of new tariffs, and stricter compliance rules. Mike Short, president of global forwarding, added: "Customers have information they need sooner. Data is more consistent. Processes are more predictable. When plans change or disruptions occur, customers can more quickly evaluate a new routing, mode of shipping, schedule or price. "Not to mention, speed-to-market is a real competitive advantage. The faster we get you a quote and handle your booking, the faster you get the ideal carrier and the ideal sailing or flight. "For an air shipment, life-saving medicines, perishable produce and critical automotive parts absolutely must arrive on time. Our Lean AI makes your supply chain a smarter, faster, better one." Mike Neill, chief technology officer, added: "Before agentic AI, we'd developed digital booking forms and data exchange setups with customers, but over the course of about 10 years achieved only about 5% automation for ocean and air booking requests. "Why was that such a tough hill to climb? Primarily because you quote your customer, then it's their suppliers booking with you. A customer might have 50 suppliers. With our agentic AI, all those booking requests no longer need to be handled manually." On the customs front, CH Robinson staff had been manually handling four dozen types of documents from shippers, carriers and government agencies needed to clear US Customs but much of this has now been automated. "Incoming documents are split up, classified and attached to their individual shipments," CH Robinson. "An AI agent extracts necessary data, while the system monitors for missing documents and requests them. "Automated invoices and information packets are sent out at the end. So far, time spent has been reduced by 23%, allowing the company's customs brokers to focus on critical validation and compliance steps."

Qatar Cargo signs up with Pelicargo

Qatar Airways Cargo has become the latest carrier to place its capacity on US airfreight procurement and booking platform Pelicargo. Pelicargo said the partnership would provide freight forwarder users of Pelicargo with direct access to Qatar Airways Cargo's global network, real-time capacity and booking capabilities. The platform enables forwarders to quote, book, and manage international shipments from any US origin ZIP code, combining first-mile trucking with airfreight. "As forwarders face increasing pressure to respond faster to customer demands while managing tighter operational timelines, access to reliable global capacity has become increasingly critical," said Pelicargo. "With Qatar Airways Cargo becoming part of the platform, Pelicargo further strengthens its ability to connect forwarders with major international trade lanes through a more centralised and efficient workflow." The integration allows Qatar Airways Cargo to provide its products, services and open offer its global network to customers. Sean Angata, co-founder of Pelicargo, said: "Qatar Airways Cargo operates one of the most strategically connected networks in the world, making it one of the most important partners on our platform. "Today's freight forwarders need speed, visibility, and flexibility when securing capacity across multiple regions. This partnership will make that process even more seamless while further enhancing the overall user experience for our customers." In May, Emirates SkyCargo also placed its capacity on the platform.