ACMI, charter freighter operators lean on e-commerce growth

ACMI, CMI and charter service providers are bullish on the prospects of the e-commerce segment and will look to incorporate more of it into their core business in 2025. “E-commerce is a very big driver at the moment,” Atlas Air Worldwide Chief Commercial Officer and Head of Sustainability Richard Broekman said during the Cargo Facts Jan. 21 webinar “ACMI, CMI and Charter in 2025: Challenges and Opportunities.” [caption id="attachment_57148365" align="aligncenter" width="1810"] Air Atlanta Europe is flying unit 33731 between China and Europe for Fly Meta. (Courtesy/Fly Meta)[/caption] “We’ve seen the big e-commerce companies in Asia, especially in China, that have just come out of nowhere,” Broekman added. “In the case of Temu, they started in September 2022, and they’re just a massive buyer, probably the largest in the world by now in terms of airfreight needs. So, they definitely drive the growth.” Watch the webinar here. With fifty-six 747 freighters, Atlas is the largest operator of the type and topped up its fleet with seven more in 2024, in part to support cross-border e-commerce growth. It has signed long-term agreements with major e-commerce players including Temu, the carrier previously told Cargo Facts . A key contributor to demand While traditional businesses bring stability to the industry, e-commerce is now recognized as a key contributor to growing demand, Broekman said. This was echoed by similar sentiments from Unndor Jonsson, vice president of sales and marketing at Air Atlanta Icelandic, during the webinar. “We do have our stable business, which is the manufacturers, the producers, the type of business that we have kept for many years,” he said. “But the growth in the last two years has been really driven by e-commerce and I think that’s actually going to continue.” Air Atlanta Icelandic added two production 747-400Fs to its operational fleet in 2024. Its subsidiary, Air Atlanta Europe, operates one of those freighters (33731) in CMI service between China and Europe for Hong Kong-based Fly Meta. “The Far East market is growing and we are shifting some of our feed more toward the East,” Jonsson said. “I think there are a lot of growth opportunities there. But, at the same time, we will remain with our stable customers because they are the backbone we will fall back on should there be some softening in the e-commerce market.” Tariffs and risk Freighter operators are keeping a close eye on the potential tariffs that the United States could impose on Chinese goods and the impact on e-commerce shipments. While the e-commerce effect may be more pronounced on the long-haul lanes, particularly to and from China , in the narrowbody sector, ACMI specialist SmartLynx does not see its market as purely driven by e-commerce. “The business is all about the risk,” Chairman and Chief Executive Edvinas Demenius said during the webinar. “The question is just how much you can tolerate.” Register now for Cargo Facts' essential regional events for industry stakeholders: Cargo Facts LATAM 2025 on Feb. 10-11 at the Pullman Sao Paulo Guarulhos Airport in Brazil; Cargo Facts Asia 2025 on March 24-26 at the W Shanghai in China; and Cargo Facts EMEA 2025 on May 6-8 at the Shangri-La Bosphorus in Turkey.

ACMI, charter freighter operators lean on e-commerce growth

Higher risk, higher reward

Atlas Air’s Diaz joins Cargo Facts LATAM 2025

Airbus Beluga Transport ceases ops

Related Posts

DHL eCommerce signs last-mile deal with USPS

Rhenus Logistics, Katowice Airport, Swissport join Cargo Facts Routes and Airports Conference 2026

Kersti Krepp joins Cargo Facts Asia 2026 as guest moderator

Airbus Beluga Transport ceases ops

Cargo Facts Free Newsletters

Cargo Facts Connect Podcast

Follow Us

Welcome Back!

Retrieve your password