Qatar Cargo Maintains Market Leadership Despite Volume Decline
Qatar Cargo reported a 9.6% drop in cargo revenues to $4.45 bn and a 9.1% decline in volumes to 2.8 m tonnes for the fiscal year ending March. Despite the downturn, the carrier retained its position as the world’s largest international air‑freight operator with a 12% market share. The airline cited geopolitical disruptions, new tariff regimes and shifting trade flows as headwinds, but highlighted its ability to adapt quickly. Operational highlights included full deployment of its 30 Boeing 777 freighters and the launch of new digital and high‑tech services.
Rates Finally Start to Ease as Jet Fuel Prices Fall
Air freight rates finally slipped as jet fuel prices fell about 10% in early May, according to the TAC Index. The Baltic Air Freight Index (BAI00) dropped 4.9% week‑on‑week to 18 May but remains 30.4% higher than a year ago. Rate...
Frankfurt Cargo Services Expand Pharma Presence with New Facility
Frankfurt Cargo Services (FCS) has opened a new CEIV‑ and GDP‑certified Pharma Center at its German hub, expanding temperature‑controlled capacity to just under 3,300 sq m—four times its previous space. The facility centralizes all pharma handling, supporting both controlled room‑temperature (15‑25 °C) and...
US Cargo Airlines Call for Suspension of Jet Fuel Tax
U.S. cargo carriers, led by the National Air Carrier Association, have asked the Trump administration to temporarily suspend the federal excise tax on jet fuel as prices surge amid the Middle East conflict. Jet fuel now averages $164 per barrel...
American Airlines Cargo Enables Bookings Through CargoWise
American Airlines Cargo has integrated its data with WiseTech Global’s CargoWise platform, allowing freight forwarders to plan, book, and manage shipments directly within the system. The connection gives CargoWise’s 23 global forwarder customers real‑time access to AA Cargo’s schedules, rates,...
MBS Logistics to Be Acquired by AD Ports Group
AD Ports Group has signed a binding agreement to acquire German freight forwarder MBS Logistics, a company that generated €205 million (approximately $223 million) in revenue in 2025. The acquisition brings MBS’s network of 26 offices and over 450 professionals across Central...
Awesome Cargo Adds Third A330-200P2F
Awesome Cargo announced delivery of its third Airbus A330‑200 passenger‑to‑freighter, registered XA‑DUR, on May 17, 2026, expanding its fleet to three converted wide‑body jets. The carrier, which received regulatory clearance in 2023, operates ACMI, CMI and charter services, moving pharma,...
Kenya Airways Becomes Handler for FedEx in Nairobi
Kenya Airways, through its subsidiary Kenya Airfreight Handling Limited, has signed a ground‑handling agreement with FedEx to manage the U.S. carrier’s cargo operations at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. The deal marks FedEx’s first partnership with the Nairobi airline and expands...
FedEx Boss Downplays Threat From Amazon’s Latest Supply Chain Play
FedEx CEO Raj Subramaniam downplays Amazon’s new Amazon Supply Chain Services (ASCS) as a threat, emphasizing FedEx’s end‑to‑end global network and asset‑based capabilities. ASCS, a non‑asset 3PL, offers freight, distribution and parcel services backed by Amazon’s fleet of 80,000 trailers,...
FedEx Board Approves Spin-Off of FedEx Freight
FedEx’s board has formally approved the spin‑off of its FedEx Freight unit, which will begin trading on the NYSE on June 1, 2026. The separation follows a December 2024 decision to split the two businesses and is intended to unlock value and...
Enter the Ground Handler of the Year Award
The Air Cargo News Awards, now in its 42nd year, are calling for entries in the Ground Handler of the Year category. The award targets global ground handlers that showcase operational efficiency, high customer satisfaction, forward‑looking strategies, and advanced technology...
Weekly Airfreight Rate Rises Mostly Ease
Global airfreight rates are cooling after two months of sharp gains, with the Baltic Air Freight Index (BAI00) edging up just 0.4% in the week to May 11. Despite the weekly pause, the index remains 35.8% higher year‑on‑year, still far above...
DHL Express Signs Its First Middle East SAF Offtake Agreement
DHL Express has signed its first Middle East sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) offtake agreement with Dubai‑based SAF One. The deal grants DHL access to 25,000 metric tons of unblended SAF per year, totalling 250,000 tons over a ten‑year period beginning...
ACN Awards: Enter the Environment Category
Air Cargo News has opened entries for the Environment category of its 2026 Awards, inviting air cargo firms to showcase measurable waste and emissions reductions over the past year. Sponsored by dnata, the category seeks evidence‑based initiatives, customer engagement, and...
Kuehne+Nagel Adds New Hyderbad Airfreight Cross-Dock
Kuehne+Nagel has opened a 248 sq m air‑freight cross‑dock in Hyderabad to serve the city’s booming pharmaceutical sector. The facility features dedicated temperature zones of 2‑8 °C and 15‑25 °C and complies with the company’s HealthChain quality standard. Hyderabad accounts for more than 40%...
Yaren Joins CargoCrew
Volkan Yaren, a seasoned cargo pricing professional with 15 years of experience, has been appointed Commercial Director at Dubai‑based CargoCrew. Yaren previously spent two years leading cargo pricing at Qatar Airways and held senior roles at Geodis, Toll Global Forwarding,...
Astral Launches Nairobi-Asmara Freighter Route
Astral Aviation has inaugurated a weekly freighter service linking Nairobi, Kenya, and Asmara, Eritrea, aiming to boost trade across the Horn of Africa. The route connects Eritrea to Astral’s broader network that reaches Africa, the Middle East, Asia and Europe....
Liege Aim to Launch First-Line Warehouse by 2028
Liege Airport will open a 38,000 m² first‑line warehouse by the end of 2028, part of the CargoLand hub slated for full completion in 2040. The €500 million (≈$540 million) investment also adds a 120,000 m² e‑commerce facility, a 180,000 m² landside warehouse, 15 GSE...
DHL Express Responds to Volatility with Time-Definite Expansion
DHL Express has launched Heavy Weight Express (HWX), a time‑definite service that moves shipments up to 1,000 kg per piece and 3,000 kg per consignment. The offering bundles end‑to‑end monitoring, all‑in pricing and dedicated Heavy Weight Priority Desks to eliminate rate volatility...
K-Mile Begins Thailand-UAE Cargo Flights
K‑Mile Air, operating as K‑Mile Asia, launched a new cargo service linking Northern Thailand with Abu Dhabi. The inaugural flight on 5 May used a Boeing 767‑300 converted freighter, marking the first direct Thailand‑UAE route from Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai....
Cargo Leads the Way for ACS in Q1
Air Charter Service reported a 35% jump in Q1 revenue to $380 million, propelled primarily by its cargo division. Cargo charters surged 70% year‑over‑year, lifting cargo revenue 41%, while overall charter volumes rose 19%. The firm also saw strong gains in...
Airfreight Rates Remained Elevated in April Despite Ceasefire
Air freight rates stayed high in April despite the Iran‑U.S. ceasefire, with the Baltic Air Freight Index showing a 32.7% year‑over‑year increase. The surge follows March spikes triggered by regional air attacks and a closed Strait of Hormuz, which lifted...
Emirates SkyCargo Performance Boosted by Freighter Additions in 25/26
Emirates SkyCargo reported a modest revenue rise to AED 16.2 bn (≈$4.4 bn) and a 2.5% increase in total cargo volume to 2.4 m tonnes for the year ending 31 March. The boost came from five new Boeing 777 freighters, two wet‑leased 747s and an expanding...
DP World Launches “First-of-Its-Kind” Cargo War Risk Insurance
DP World has introduced a first‑of‑its‑kind cargo war‑risk insurance that spans ocean, air and land transport, targeting businesses operating through Middle East corridors such as the Arabian Gulf, Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz. The policy offers continuous coverage from...
Swissport to Handle Atlas 747F Flights for K+N at Liege
Swissport has secured a long‑term ground‑handling contract to service Atlas Air’s Boeing 747‑8F freighter flights for logistics giant Kuehne + Nagel at Liege Airport. The deal builds on K+N’s 2022 charter of two of the final 747‑8Fs produced by Boeing, including the “Inspire”...
Lufthansa Cargo Sees Profits Rise Following Middle East Conflict
Lufthansa’s logistics division, which includes Lufthansa Cargo and its partners, posted a 5% revenue rise to €876 million (≈$954 million) and a 40% jump in EBIT to €83 million (≈$90 million) in Q1 2026. Cargo traffic increased 7% to 2.2 billion revenue tonne‑kilometres, driven by...
ACS Flies over 200 Rescued Cats and Dogs to Their New Home
Air Charter Service (ACS) flew more than 200 rescued cats and dogs from Merced, California, to three destinations in Oregon and Washington in a single charter flight. The aircraft made three quick drop‑offs, spending just over 30 minutes on the...
Qatar Cargo Introduces Smart Temperature Solution for Pharma
Qatar Airways Cargo has launched Pharma Passive FlexTemp, a smart temperature solution that allows dual‑temperature control within a single air shipment. The service bridges the gap when passive packaging reaches the end of its effective life, ensuring product integrity throughout the...
Enter the Young Airfreight Professional of the Year Award
The Air Cargo News Awards, now in their 42nd year, have launched the Young Airfreight Professional of the Year Award, targeting individuals 35 or younger who excel in the air cargo sector. Sponsored by Awery Aviation Software, the award offers...
IAI Completes “Primary Structural Work” On A330-300P2F
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) has finished the primary structural work on its Airbus A330‑300 passenger‑to‑freighter (P2F) conversion prototype and moved the aircraft off the jacks. The program now enters ground‑ and flight‑testing, with the first A330‑200P2F flight slated for the...
Expeditors’ Air Volumes Rise in Q1 as It Eyes Unpredictable Market
Expeditors International reported a strong Q1, with air‑services revenue up 14.3% YoY to about $1 billion and gross profit rising 3.2% to $261.4 million. Air freight tonnage grew 5% year‑over‑year, driven by robust demand from technology customers and a less constrained capacity...
Air China Cargo to Order More A350 Freighters
Air China Cargo announced it will exercise options for four additional Airbus A350 freighters, bringing its total A350F commitment to ten aircraft. The extra jets, valued at roughly $1.86 billion at list price, are scheduled for delivery in 2032‑33, with further...
ACN Awards: Enter the Air Cargo Charter Project of the Year
The Air Cargo News (ACN) Awards are now accepting entries for the Air Cargo Charter Project of the Year, a category sponsored by Network Airline Services. Companies that completed a complex, customer‑focused charter shipment in the past 12 months may...
Xeneta: The Worst May Be over After Air Cargo Prices Surge in April
Air‑freight spot rates surged more than 30% year‑on‑year in April, reaching an average $3.34 per kilogram, as the Middle‑East conflict drove up jet fuel costs and forced longer, direct routes. Demand rose 2% while capacity slipped 1%, pushing the dynamic...
Domestic Demand Lifts Air Canada Cargo Q1 Revenues
Air Canada Cargo’s first‑quarter revenue rose 3.5% to C$259 million (≈$189 million USD), propelled by stronger domestic volumes and newly applied fuel surcharges. International and transborder yields weakened, tempering overall cargo profitability. The airline’s total operating revenue jumped 11% to C$5.8 billion (≈$4.2 billion...
DHL Has Fuel Security at Hubs but Faces Challenges Elsewhere
DHL says its dedicated fuel infrastructure at major hubs such as Leipzig, Cincinnati, Hong Kong and Bahrain shields it from jet‑fuel shortages, but many Asian spoke airports lack such safeguards. The carrier relies on spot pricing and can tanker‑in fuel...
AF KLM Cargo Sees Volumes Rise but Revenues Fall in Q1
Air France‑KLM Martinair Cargo reported a 3.5% year‑on‑year drop in first‑quarter cargo revenue to €600 million (≈ $648 million) despite a 4% increase in tonnage to 234,000 t and a 3.8% rise in revenue‑tonne‑kilometres. Capacity grew 2.9% and the load factor edged up to...
Express Firm SF Selects Changi as Its First Overseas Hub
Chinese logistics giant SF Group announced that Changi Airport will serve as its first overseas hub, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding with Changi Airport Group. The partnership targets the rapidly expanding air‑cargo market across Southeast Asia, South Asia and...
Turkish Cargo Partners with Air China Cargo on China-Turkey Flights
Turkish Cargo announced a partnership with Air China Cargo to operate scheduled freighter services between Chengdu and Istanbul, launching three weekly flights. The collaboration taps Air China’s fleet of Boeing 777, 747‑400F and A330‑200 P2F aircraft, complementing Turkish Cargo’s own...
DHL Airfreight Volumes Rise 3.8% in Q1 as Rates Weigh on Revenue
DHL Group’s airfreight volumes grew 3.8% year‑over‑year to 438,000 tons in Q1 2026, driven by Asia and Latin America lanes. However, lower freight rates trimmed airfreight revenue 2.2% to €1.5 bn (≈$1.64 bn), even as gross profit rose 3.2% to €260 m (≈$283 m). The...
Cargolux Outlines a Volatile Outlook Following 2025 Revenue Increase
Cargolux reported 2025 revenue up 2.5% to $3.4 bn and profit up 3.8% to $465 m despite a 2.8% drop in tonnage and a lower load factor. The carrier said the air‑cargo market remained volatile, shaped by geopolitical tensions, trade wars and...
Swissport Acquires Majority Stake in CV Handling
Swissport has signed a share purchase agreement to acquire a majority stake in CV Handling, the primary ground‑handling provider at seven airports in Cabo Verde. The deal emerged from a competitive privatization process that named Swissport the preferred bidder. Adding...
Awery Scoops a Fifth Hackathon Win
Awery Aviation Software clinched its fifth IATA ONE Record hackathon title by unveiling Voyager, a tool that delivers real‑time visibility of cargo shipment milestones. The Hong Kong‑based competition challenged developers to build solutions that integrate with the ONE Record data‑sharing standard,...
DSV’s Q1 Air Volumes See Continued Boost From Schenker Takeover
DSV reported 518,000 tonnes of airfreight in Q1 2026, a 55% year‑on‑year increase driven primarily by the Schenker acquisition and strong demand from technology and semiconductor customers. Air revenue rose to DKK 20.2 bn (≈ $2.8 bn), up 48%, while the Air & Sea...
Aerios Teams up with Wiremind to Tackle Cargo Loadability Issues
Aerios has integrated Wiremind Cargo’s Skypallet optimisation tool into its charter quoting app, enabling real‑time cargo loadability checks. The system flags size, weight and density issues at the quotation stage, eliminating manual hand‑offs between sales and loadmaster teams. By delivering...
UPS International Revenue up, While Domestic Drops
United Parcel Service reported first‑quarter 2026 international package revenue up 3.8% to $4.4 bn, yet operating profit fell 14.4% to $547 m as expenses rose. Domestic revenue slipped 2.3% to $14 bn and profit plunged 47.4% to $515 m, with only a modest 1%...
US Forwarders Express Dismay at Chicago Flight Cuts
U.S. freight forwarders have slammed the FAA’s decision to cap daily flights at Chicago O’Hare (ORD) at 2,708 for the summer, a reduction from the airlines’ planned 3,080. The limit, intended to curb congestion amid extensive runway construction, threatens to...
Cargo Carriers Return to Venezuela
Following the U.S. easing of sanctions on Venezuela, airlines are rapidly reinstating cargo services to the country. Over the past week, international cargo capacity rose about 40% year‑over‑year, driven by a 479% surge in widebody freighter slots while narrowbody capacity...
IndiGo Starts Kunming-Kolkata Freighter Operations
IndiGo has launched regular cargo services between Kolkata, India and Kunming, China, operating three times a week with an Airbus A321 freighter. The inaugural flights on 20 April carried nine tons of Indian crabs inbound and about 21.4 tons of general goods outbound. The...
Atlas Air Worldwide Appoints New Chief People Officer
Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings announced the appointment of Emma Woodthorpe as its new chief people officer, effective April 27, 2026. Reporting to CEO Michael Steen and joining the executive leadership team, Woodthorpe will oversee talent acquisition, leadership development, total rewards,...