Peak Season Forecast: Ocean, Intermodal, Air and Trucking
Special Report
A preliminary trade deal cut US tariffs on Chinese goods from 145 % to 30 % for at least 90 days. Sheila Fitzgerald / Shutterstock. com
“ Approximately 50 % of air cargo shipments on the China-US route is low-value e-commerce... the oxygen was suddenly and dramatically removed from this demand on May 2, and it has shaken the market to its core,” said Niall van de Wouw, chief air freight officer at Xeneta.
China – US freighter capacity has tumbled 39 % since the May 2 elimination of US de minimis exemptions. Shutterstock. com
Rotate’ s analysts are expecting“ some demand” to return to the China-US air corridor, but it was not clear how strong the demand would be following frontloading ahead of May 2 and the prevailing uncertainty around tariff levels as the US continues negotiations with its trade partners.
“ Since May 2, some freighters have been parked and some were shifted to other trade lanes,” a Rotate spokesperson told the Journal of Commerce.“ If demand is there, we will probably see most freighter capacity return to the trans-Pacific.”
email: greg. knowler @ spglobal. com
www. joc. com June 2, 2025 | Journal of Commerce 13