Category: Air

December 2022; Freight market summary review

As freight prices on every mode return to relative stability and the worst effects of inflation work though, the market is expected to rebalance, achieve ‘correction’ and ultimately recover with slow growth in 2023. The spiking freight rates on all modes are falling away and... Read more

Heathrow; officially number one…and number two

COVID had a profound impact on air travel and the airports that support it, with the bulk of the world’s airline fleet grounded, global passenger volumes down 75% and Heathrow slipping to Europe’s 10th busiest airport during the pandemic. Aviation especially saw a decline within passe... Read more

Heathrow air freight ground handlers strike

(STRIKE OFF - SEE UPDATE BELOW) Heathrow ground handlers have rejected below-inflation pay offers, with members of the Unite union taking part in three days of strike action, commencing tomorrow, which could impact cargo flying with major carriers. 18TH NOVEMBER - The strike by ground handlers... Read more

Metro support drive for Sustainable Aviation Fuel

Despite the continuing challenges of the COVID pandemic and the war in Ukraine the aviation industry is committed to decarbonising by 2050, but alternative energies such as electric and hydrogen will not solve the challenge, which is why Metro is joining industry ‘innovators’ to support and i... Read more

Heathrow is Europe’s busiest airport again

One year after COVID travel restrictions demoted London’s Heathrow airport to Europe's 10th busiest airport, the west London hub has grown more in the past 12 months than any airport in Europe and regained its crown as Europe's busiest airport. Heathrow welcomed 5.8 million passengers betwee... Read more

Environmental developments you may have missed

While we continue to drive forward our ‘green’ initiatives, by selecting environmentally focused partners and further developing our MVT ECO platform in managing, measuring and offsetting carbon emissions, we also monitor ‘green’ developments that may impact our sector. The Hydrofoil a... Read more

Air freight market update

With very few route exceptions, the air freight market from India and Asia to Europe has generally been softening for a couple of months, reflected also in the US market, with only African and South American routes bucking the trend. Lack of capacity continues to be an issu... Read more

Challenging air freight market with little room for optimism

Deteriorating global economic conditions may prompt some shippers to turn their back on air cargo, but after successful charters over the last two years, we expect dedicated freighter and part charter capacity to remain a fixture for many of our customers. The numbers are n... Read more

No ground handling staff at airports, but cost keeps increasing

The state of the sea freight market has been a major contributory factor in air freight market demand, since the onset of the COVID pandemic, but that consistent demand has been a challenge too far for many air cargo handlers. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) confirms that th... Read more

China Update; Testing prompts Shanghai lockdown scare

With individual district lockdowns and mass testing again underway, the trade press have been reporting that Shanghai could go back into lockdown, which would be a major disruption as we enter the traditional peak season. It’s been just six weeks since Shanghai emerged from its two-month zer... Read more

Air freight industry continues to battle capacity

Despite the capacity challenges facing air cargo, the industry will not suffer any “lasting negative impact” from the pandemic, because global economies will recover, high value goods require expedited transport and customer demand for speed continues to increase. The pandemic, Ukraine war... Read more

Demand for Shanghai sea exports may divert to air freight

As COVID lockdown measures are gradually relaxed in Shanghai it is uncertain how quickly export sea freight volumes will rebound, but many experts are anticipating a strong and sustained spike in demand creating a backlog of shipping containers, which could once again result in oce... Read more