April Drewry price index indicates ongoing recovery

Consider the airfreight recovery to be still alive and kicking.

That’s the verdict according to th latest installment of the Drewry East-West Airfreight Price Index, showing airfreight rates continuing to recover through April. With an 8 percent year-over-year increase in monthly rates, Drewry’s numbers suggest that that demand for airfreight is making substantial gains over a multi-year downturn that started as far back as 2007.

The reports found that “higher rates out of Asia to North America” were the main reason Drewry’s Price Index increased by 1.7 percent in April, compared to the previous month. “The index is now about 8 percent above where it stood in the same month last year, reflective of strong demand seen in the sector,” Drewry found.

Drewry added a note of caution, however. Moving forward, it said, the industry could expect a seasonal downturn, anticipating, “a seasonal dip in airfreight rates in May, followed by a rebound in June.”