U.S. air trade appears to be growing healthily so far in 2021, with exports in the first quarter of 2021 up 3.1% compared with the same period in 2019, and imports up 7.5%, according to Cargo Facts Consulting research.
Unlike 2020, when personal protective equipment dominated air cargo volumes, most product groups saw growth in the first few months of the year. While overall retail was a major driver of growth, this was not just as a result of e-commerce, which only accounted for about 20% of the growth attributable to non-store retail.
Meanwhile, the manufacturing purchasing managers index (PMI) in the U.S. has been on the rise for ten consecutive months.
Read the full analysis on Cargo Facts Consulting, where subscribers will find an interactive dashboard to explore U.S. trade data by time period and commodity group.
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