East-West airfreight rates pulled back in December, says Drewry

Rates for airfreight on east-west routes averaged US$3.06 per kilogram for December – an increase of 8.5 percent from December 2016. However, this rate is down $0.09 from November, according to the latest Drewry Sea & Air Shipper Insight.

December’s numbers still stood well above the rest of 2017, with airfreight rates averaging about $3 per kilo. While the index also fell by 3 percentage points to 103.1, the strong demand reported throughout December made it the second-strongest month of the year for east-west routes.

The month-to-month decrease was expected and “in keeping with seasonality,” said Drewry analyst Shakin Praveen. Based on seasonal averages from last year, January freight rates are likely to continue December’s declines. However, “given anecdotal reports of tighter capacity, Drewry expects prices to remain well above the annual comparisons in January,” Praveen added.

Interested in learning more about the future prospects of the airfreight industry? Then  join us at Cargo Facts Asia 2018, where senior executives from all branches of the industry will share their views about what to expect in 2018 and beyond.

Cargo Facts Asia will be held 23-25 April, at the Mandarin Oriental Pudong in Shanghai. For more information, or to register, visit www.cargofactsasia.com