While the Delta variant of the COVID-19 pandemic is carving its way through the global community, air freight from China to North America is still on the rise as the economy across the world strides towards recovery. But even though the movement of freight is pointed in the right direction, having the transportation to carry it out is another story. Logistics providers are creating new routes to meet this new increase in demand, but it is likely that we may face a shortage of air freight capacity as part of the growing pains of a global recovery.

Let’s take a dive into how the world of air freight is being affected by our current events, especially with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic…

Large Players in Air Freight Are Trying to Make Room

FedEx, one of the major providers in logistics, is in the process of opening four new intercontinental flights from China, and they’re also looking to further improve their existing flights to the European continent as well as to other parts of Asia. This is important because of China’s role in supplying supplies and materials to North America for innumerable businesses. As the global economy continues to recover, Chinese factories will be generating goods and supplies at even greater speeds—but without the planes to fly those goods, the process will stall.

FedEx isn’t the only one trying to increase their transport capacity to meet the rising demand. SF International is also trying to handle the rising demand. But there’s something that all logistics providers are having to deal with: Rising rates and not enough transport capacity. As demand rises against the existing capacity for air freight, rates will only continue to rise, and delays will be more frequent.

Every Disruption Affects Things “Made in China”

With the struggle to find more transport capacity, any and all goods that need to move overseas to reach North America will likely be seeing delays for some time. It goes beyond just having the capacity to fly or ship packages, the rise in rates plays a role in how much can be afforded to be moved at a time. Every component in the process affects the rest. Both air freight and sea-bound freight are being affected by this, with some experiencing rates as high as five-times more than usual because of the rising demand.

The best remedy for this matter will likely be time. Even if more planes or ships were to be built in a matter of weeks, it would also require ports and airports to increase their capacity to accept and unload those freight vehicles. There will be no easy solution to meeting the freight shortages that we’re experiencing, and the supply shortages that are happening consequently.

By Air or Road, Get Your Freight Moving with Reliable Couriers

While there’s not much that can be done while waiting for your freight to reach North America, you can make sure that your freight makes up for lost time with the swift same day freight delivery and Next Flight Out services of Reliable Couriers! Ensure that your freight cargo keeps on the move the moment it’s landed and been offloaded. Our bonded freight drivers can have your freight rushed to their destination for the final leg of their journey. Need to have your packages shipped out to a far location? We can also have your packages hurried to the airport to have them loaded onto the Next Flight Out, so that they stay on the move and deliver as swiftly as possible. Give us a call or explore our website to discover how Reliable Couriers is helping businesses like yours remain on track!