Oman Air Cargo has added five new general sales agent (GSA) partnerships and two new offline routes to Australia and Japan.
The routes will be serviced by GSA Australia Cargo and World Prime Services.
The other three new GSAs, Al Madinah Travel Company, MGH Logistics, and APG, will service online routes to Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia respectively.
Along with the new contracts, which will last two years, Oman Air Cargo has also renewed a number of GSA contracts for a year. To mark the event, the airline hosted 27 representatives from its GSA network at an event in Muscat, Oman.
As Hurricane Melissa swept through the Caribbean in late October, air charter specialist Chapman Freeborn transported personnel and critical equipment from the US directly to Jamaica hours after it made landfall.
The island bore the brunt of the destruction, with at least 32 fatalities reported and many more injured. Overall, some 600,000 people in Jamaica were affected, and relief operations are expected to last several months.
As Melissa was gaining strength, Chapman Freeborn was getting ready to deploy charters to the Caribbean. Pre-planning efforts included advance coordination with regional operators, liaising with Chapman Freeborn’s 24/7 Operations team in the UK for the latest Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), storm trajectory updates and risk notices as well as deploying project management personnel to Miami for real-time charter coordination.
Vice president of government and humanitarian – Americas, Cam Bolton-Wilson, said: “Before Melissa’s landfall, we had received requests from multiple customers in the public, government, commercial, NGO and defense sectors. We informed our clients about everything from airport status updates and aircraft availability to permit processes and potential schedules so we could respond as quickly as possible to any situation on the ground.”
One of the organisations that reached out was World Central Kitchen, which provides meals to communities impacted by natural disasters. Chapman Freeborn transported the NGO’s response team from Miami to Kingston on an ERJ-145 regional jet. The company also mobilized an S-61 heavy-lift helicopter from Michigan to Grand Cayman, before positioning it to Jamaica to support World Central Kitchen operations at the heart of the affected area.
Chapman Freeborn also transported rapid-response equipment to Jamaica on an Gulfstream G-IV, and had Airbus A-320s, CASA C-212, Antonov AN-12 and a wide array of regionally positioned turboprop and rotary wing aircraft available to support the evolving mission. The Antonov AN-12 was used to transport communications equipment while critical infrastructure was under repair.
“The nature of disaster response operations is significantly different from traditional charters,” Bolton-Wilson explains. “There’s no time to lose, so we have to be prepared to go into unstable or developing environments to provide the necessary assistance. We strive to operate ethically and ensure the best solutions possible, balancing schedule, cost and operational need against rapidly evolving operating environments.”
Chapman Freeborn not only offers instant access to project-specific aircraft, but also provides dynamic trip support and mission management. What’s particularly important in rapidly-developing situations is managing stakeholder expectations and explaining realistic capabilities, Bolton-Wilson notes:
“Even in dire situations, the regulatory environment still applies to air travel, so evolving needs on the ground cannot always drive airlift solutions. Our brokerage team matches aircraft to mission specifics, and provides essential stability and project control during what can be a chaotic planning phase.”
While many aircraft sourced by Chapman Freeborn were ultimately not required due to rapidly shifting needs, the company provided critical initial deployment solutions and support for relief efforts in Jamaica through the contracted S-61 heavy lift helicopter. The aircraft arrived within hours of the hurricane making landfall, and delivered versatile, high-impact airlift capabilities to World Central Kitchen and the people of Jamaica.
Aeromexico is to add more seasonal summer routes from its Mexico City hub to Europe in summer including Barcelona and Paris, reports Routes Online.
It will operate from Mexico City to Barcelona six times a week with Boeing 787-8 and 787-9 aircraft, reinstating a route that last operated in 2019. The carrier already operates between, Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey to Madrid.
It is also adding a route between Monterrey and Paris CDG three times a week operated by 787-9 aircraft. Both routes will operate until late October.
DHL Group is to invest around €1 billion in India by 2030. The programme will include life sciences and healthcare, new energy, e-commerce, and digitalization. Major infrastructure developments include the ffirst DHL Health Logistics hub for DHL Supply Chain India in Bhiwandi, the country’s largest low-emission integrated operating facility for Blue Dart in Bijwasan, the first automatic sorting centre for DHL Express India in Delhi, a fifth DHL IT Services Centre in Indore, and electric vehicle and battery logistics centre of excellence in Chennai and Mumbai and the largest low-emission integrated ground hub for Blue Dart in Haryana.
BioNatur’s biodegradable 100% recyclable stretch wrap now costs about the same as conventional plastic films, the manufacturer’s president and chief executive Chris Paladino told the Air Cargo Americas show on 13 November.
Paladion (pictured, left, with Charles Rick, vice president sales) said a change in BioNatur’s production process means that shippers and logistics providers can adopt the biodegradable wrap with little or no impact on operating costs, while meeting current compliance requirements and future-proofing against tightening international environmental standards, including European Union Scope 2 and 3 emissions reporting and forthcoming U.S. disclosure standards.
“By matching the cost of conventional stretch wrap, we are making the sustainable option the obvious one,” he said.
BioNatur stretch wrap biodegrades in an anaerobic environment, which includes most landfills.
It contains a small amount of a proprietary, food-safe, organic additive that attracts anaerobic bacteria and allows them to digest the plastic polymer without leaving microplastics or harmful residues.
Earlier this year, BioNatur established a European manufacturing partnership, enabling local production at price parity with traditional films and ensuring supply to operators across both regions.
The CargoAi airfreight platform has appointed Wayne Tyndall as strategic advisor. He brings experience in building and scaling technology solutions for the global logistics industry, and at CargoAi will focus on organizational scaling, product excellence, and customer-centric innovation. During his time at WebCargo by Freightos and 7LFreight, he played a pivotal role in growing both teams and product offerings.
The longest government shutdown in US history has ended after 43 days, following the US administration’s annual wrangling over the Federal budget. The shutdown led to widespread delays and cancellations across the country, ias air traffic controllers and other professionals went unpaid.
In a statement welcoming the move American Airlines said however that the last few days of operations had already brought fewer delays and cancellations and that it was well positioned to recover quickly because of operational decisions to minimize disruption. It thanked its customers for their loyalty and patience throughout a challenging period.
The Airforwarders Association (AfA) also welcomed the end of the shutdown, and urged policymakers to reverse flight capacity reductions that caused around 10,000 flights to be cancelled and widespread disruption across the air cargo sector.
AfA said the reopening of government must include immediate steps to reimburse the 1.4 million unpaid federal workers, increase flight capacity, resume export license processing, and restore the stability that businesses and supply chains need.
Executive director, Brandon Fried, said: “We now need a rapid return to predictable operations. Forwarders and their customers have endured weeks of uncertainty, strained service levels, and reduced airport capacity.
“Restoring full staffing and reversing the cuts in flight capacity is essential to keeping cargo moving, protecting economic activity, and ensuring that federal employees who kept working during the shutdown are paid promptly.”
AfA said the escalating reductions in flight capacity highlighted the fragility of the system and the risks posed when key agencies, including the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), operate with reduced resources.
Fried also called for clear communication on the timeline for reinstating full capacity, noting that forwarders require dependable schedules to meet customer commitments and maintain supply chain integrity.
Global air cargo volume growth slowed in October but still recorded a stronger than expected +4% rise year-on-year, despite the easing of frontloading of imports by businesses ahead of tariffs and the US de minimis ban, reports industry analysts Xeneta.
The latest monthly data supports Xeneta’s forecast in September of an overall +3-4% growth in demand for 2025, but more worrying trends indicate challenging times ahead as the market is “definitely starting to favour shippers more than it has for the past few years,” said chief airfreight officer, Niall van de Wouw.
October saw a sixth consecutive monthly fall in global air cargo spot rates, with a -3% decline year-on-year to US$2.58 per kg. Seasonal contract rates, valid for over a month, fell even faster than spot prices. Averaging $2.31 per kg, they were down -8% year-on-year, reflecting a subdued outlook among freight forwarders and carriers.
Van de Wouw warned falling volumes between Europe–North America – a market dominated by general air cargo and less exposed to the US de minimis ban – may be a “bellwether for the rest of global trade”. Despite the +4% growth in the global market, Europe-North America demand fell -6% year-on-year in October, while spot rates on the corridor rose a meagre +4% year-on-year, a sharp deceleration from the +23% annual growth seen earlier in 2025.
He said: “When we look at the global data for October, I would have expected the number to be closer to zero because of the busy Q4 for air cargo last year as well as the trade disruption still going on. But the numbers indicate it was stronger than anticipated. The consensus, however, is of a market slowing down, just not as fast as expected – and a -6% drop-off in volumes on the Transatlantic market, a major trade lane, is a harsh signal.”
October data underscored a cooling market, with demand lagging the +5% rise in supply for the second month this year.
Across the top three global trade lanes, air cargo peak season growth momentum remained subdued in October. Adjusting for distortions from Super Typhoon Ragasa by averaging late-September and Golden Week volumes, Asia Pacific to Europe cargo demand rose +11% in October versus August – well below the +16% gain recorded in the same period last year. Corresponding spot rates climbed +5%, but were well below the +9% rise seen a year earlier.
China-Europe e-commerce surge
E-commerce continued to propel Asia-Europe airfreight volumes as China’s e-commerce behemoths accelerated their share of markets outside of the US. China Customs data shows low-value and e-commerce sales to Europe surged +62% year-on-year in September, double the growth rate of a year ago and far outpacing China’s overall e-commerce expansion of +18%.
By contrast, China-to-US e-commerce shipments fell for the fifth straight month, down -34% year-on-year in September, though the decline moderated from a trough of -49% in June. As freighter capacity shifts from the Transpacific to the Asia-Europe corridor, spot rates from Northeast Asia to Europe also slipped, down -5% year-on-year, but still milder than the double-digit declines seen on Asia–North America routes.
Compared with two months earlier, the Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia to Europe corridors proved more resilient, with spot rates rising +6 and +7% respectively, versus -3% and +1% changes on the Northeast and Southeast Asia–North America routes respectively. Backhaul rates from North America to Northeast Asia showed a notable rebound, climbing +11% over the same period.
Transatlantic revenues disappoint
While the Transatlantic corridor is expected to see modest, supply-driven rate increases in the coming months as airlines trim capacity for the winter season, van de Wouw expects forwarders to emphasis “more focus on cost savings, because revenues will disappoint. You need to mind your costs more than when you’re supporting growth. The announcements by companies about reductions in cost are increasing left and right – and will continue – and we would not be seeing that if the market outlook was more positive.”
Van de Wouw adds: “For many major forwarders, organic market growth is not expected to be enough to keep their investors happy. So, as we head into 2026, I expect them to be going for market share. You can’t create more airfreight when the demand’s not there, so you’ve got to win it from someone else, and that will create more downward pressure on rates.
A buyer’s market
“When it comes to procuring freight transportation services, that will make the market more favourable to the buyers, not the sellers. However, lower rates will only benefit shippers if they can sell their products. I think most shippers would rather have 10% higher freight costs and 10% higher sales than 10% lower freight costs and 10% lower sales,” Van de Wouw continues.
“There’s no question that the airfreight market has gained from the global economic disruption and fears caused by tariffs, in particular – and it would be foolish to think the tariff situation will be over any time soon. But, as the noise starts to subside, the industry is being reminded that there is only limited growth in the general freight market and that is causing lower expectations for 2026.”
Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has signed a deal with Cargo.one to integrate a range of the airfreight platform’s technology including its Advanced Rate Management, Quotes API, Live Estimates data, and Cargo.one pro for procurement and sales of its air capacity.
Air freight quotations have become increasingly complex in recent years because of volatile market conditions, capacity constraints, and rising customer expectations for speed.
Hellmann’s upgraded infrastructure includes complete rate and charge management for its buy and sell rates, local charges and trucking costs, using Cargo.one’s Advanced Rate Management, customized to its needs. Cargo.one delivers enhanced rate visibility and global and local rate management and, by building Cargo.one’s Quotes API into its proprietary ‘HITS’ quotation system, fully integrated with its CargoWise One transport management system Hellmann can generate quotes at record speeds.
Chief operating officer for airfreight at Hellmann Worldwide Logistics, Martin Habisreitinger,commented, “The new technology significantly enhances the digital customer experience and marks a key milestone in realizing our strategic ambition, which places customer experience at the core of everything we do. Cargo.one’s technology equips Hellmann to gain full oversight over and competitive advantage from our air procurement function – allowing us to maximize upon our strong carrier relationships, optimize our rate setting, and drive competitive advantage.”
The air charter industry has stepped up to deliver relief to Jamaica following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa, with Air Charter Service alone arranging charters carrying more than 200 tons of aid, says the broker. ACS director for government and humanitarian services Ben Dinsdale said that with warning that Melissa was going to strike Jamaica, it had been in touch with NGOs and governments in preparation for potential relief flights. He added: “The air charter industry is always the first port of call when such disasters occur, and this was no different, with plans put in place before and directly after. We arranged the first non-military aid flight in last week, which was a Boeing B737-400F from Antigua into Montego Bay with 16 tons of shelter kits and blankets. Since then, we have booked charters through our London, Florida, California and Spanish offices, with several flights transporting more than 200 tons of aid in total throughout this week. “Three of the island’s five airports are small, and not suitable for aircraft any larger than a private jet or turboprop, so we are utilising Kingston’s Norman Manley International and Montego Bay’s Sangster International, despite the latter sustaining some damage. “We have also been involved in evacuations from the island on passenger aircraft, flying people to safety, and in some cases home, this past week. Once again we’re proud to work alongside our colleagues in the air charter industry, who always step up to the challenge during these times of need.”
