Air freight rates to rise into peak season

Air freight rates from Asia to North America and Europe are expected to rise through to the end of the year following four months of stable pricing, according to the recently expanded Sea & Air Shipper Insight report published by shipping consultancy Drewry.

Drewry’s East-West Air Freight Price Index, a weighted average of air freight rates across 21 East-West trades, rose 0.7 points in September to 103.7 points (see graph below). The increase in pricing brought the index up to within just 0.1 points of April’s high and 3.8 points above last year’s level, indicative of the recovery in airfreight over the past 12 months.