An update to new COVID-19 quarantine rules in Hong Kong has prompted Cathay Pacific to halted long-haul freight flights, potentially exacerbating a supply crunch ahead of the Lunar New Year peak.

International air freight and last-mile delivery saw the fastest revenue growth in the transportation sector last year, while industrial transportation suffered.

Apex Logistics International plans to continue to expand scheduled charters in 2021 after seeing a 200 percent increase in charter demand in 2020.

There’s debate about how much of a knock-on effect COVID-19 vaccine distribution could have on other types of cargoes, but US shippers are cautioned to plan for some disruption.

Freighters and converted passenger craft are taking longer to unload than belly freight and some ground handlers are understaffed after furloughs and layoffs in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lufthansa Cargo will offer instant air freight quotes via an application programming interface with digital forwarder Fleet, a company in which the German airline invested in 2018.

The outlook for air cargo is turning negative as carriers face headwinds in the form of trade upheaval and falling demand.

After a subdued end to 2018 and trade and with economic hurdles stacking up, there are relatively low expectations for the trans-Pacific air cargo market in 2019.

Of course, many factors can be involved in an air cargo volume uptrend, but this holiday season trade tension and the threat of higher tariffs certainly is one.

The International Air Transport Association said this slowing growth was coming against a backdrop of rising trade protectionism measures, and wider momentum in global trade was weakening.

Life has been good for heavy-lift air cargo operator Antonov after the breakup with its partner, with the company notching job wins in oil and gas, energy, aerospace, agriculture, telecommunications, and other industries. But that, in a sense, was not surprising, given its advantage — seven AN-124-100 freighters with payloads capable of transporting 150 metric tons.

The scheduled Hong Kong-LAX freighter service to be launched by Flexport is aimed at locking in space on the busy route.

The space-choked China-US air freight routes may see rate levels reach incredible highs as demand overpowers supply ahead of Chinese New Year.

Freight rates for air cargo are rising steadily and space is at a premium with no slowing of demand.

These are the best of times for the global airline industry but look like the worst of times for UK carriers and airports as they sweat over Brexit.

European airlines are bystanders in the long simmering “open skies” dispute between US and Gulf airlines that looks like it is about to shoot up to the top of President Trump’s “America First” agenda.