At the end of last year, experts were predicting air cargo growth rates of between 2% and 3% for 2026. Yet, the year actually began on a high, greatly exceeding those forecasts: IATA reported that JAN26 saw +5.6% year-on-year growth, after which FEB26 surged to +11.2%. It looked as though forecasts might need to be positively revised.
Then came 28FEB26… And the revision is now likely to be negative, since the immediate impacts were an unprecedented fuel crisis, capacity shortages, and greatly inflated rates. For some regions, these challenges are exacerbated by additional obstacles such as strikes and movement restrictions for reasons of safety.

The U.S.-Israeli strikes on Iran and the subsequent Strait of Hormuz disruption have fundamentally altered the air cargo scene for the next few months. Traffic through the Middle East has suffered from retaliation measures leading to temporarily closed air spaces, capacity squeezes and severe rate volatility as crucial Gulf transit hubs are bypassed. And jet fuel costs have also exploded in the unforeseen scenario.

An unparalleled fuel crisis
The root of the problem lies in the Strait of Hormuz. The waterway, through which 20–25% of the world’s oil supply previously flowed freely, has been effectively closed since the attack on Iran on 28FEB26. The consequences for aviation fuel were immediately and severely felt. According to IATA, jet fuel prices surged 103% month-over-month as of MAR26, while in the U.S. alone, the price per gallon nearly doubled. CNBC reported an increase in price from USD 2.50 on 27FEB26 to USD 4.88 by 02APR26. While on 15APR26, the International Energy Agency (IEA)’s Executive Director, Fatih Birol warned that Europe now has “maybe six weeks of jet fuel left,” characterizing it as potentially the most significant energy crisis the world has ever encountered. Reuters recently published a list of airlines that have largely halted their operations to the Gulf and Israel over the next weeks and months – in some cases even up to SEP26. The general feeling is that the war on Iran will not be over soon, no matter the current ceasefire at the time of writing.

Capacity shortages
The long list of passenger flight cancellations impacts air cargo, too, since belly capacity is removed from the market. All airlines are also reevaluating their route offers to absorb the impact of rising fuel costs. Cathay Pacific recently announced a 2% capacity reduction from mid-MAY26 through to JUN26, entirely suspending certain Middle East routes. United Airlines, Air India, Air New Zealand, and Vietnam Airlines have followed suit with similar cuts to frequencies and services. Over in Europe, carriers are drawing up contingency plans that include grounding older, less fuel-efficient freighters and reallocating fleets – with some preparing to reduce total capacity by up to 5% if conditions deteriorate through to JUN26.

Lufthansa: strikes and shutdown
Perhaps the most dramatic European casualty of the fuel crisis to date, is Lufthansa Group’s CityLine. On 16APR26, Lufthansa Group announced the immediate and permanent shutdown of the regional carrier – a move that had originally been planned for 2028, but was accelerated by soaring kerosene costs and relentless labor disputes (6 consecutive days in APR26 alone, with up to 90% of the airline’s flights out of Frankfurt and Munich being cancelled on peak days). All 27 CRJ regional jets were then grounded on 18APR26.

O’Hare: service failures lead to movement cap
While Europe and the Middle East grapple with fuel and airspace disruptions, Chicago O’Hare International Airport – the U.S.’ second-most significant cargo hub in terms of trade value – has become a case study in compounding ground-level failures. Since Good Friday, 03APR26, the airport has seen major flight delays over twelve consecutive days – for a number of reasons ranging from weather, to Lufthansa’s strike, to short-staffing. On 17APR26, alone, it counted 972 flight disruptions (cancellations and delays). The previous day, a United Airlines aircraft struck another United plane, which triggered an emergency order from the FAA to cap daily operations to a total of 2,708 flights instead of the 3,080 operations on peak summer days. The restriction will be in place from 17MAY26 to 24OCT26. “Our number one priority is the safety of the flying public, and that means ensuring airline schedules reflect what the system can safely handle,” FAA Administrator, Bryan Bedford, explained. “We appreciate the airlines working together with us to reach a responsible level of operations that strengthens safety and delivers a more reliable travel experience for the American public.” The FAA is also working on recruiting more air traffic controllers, and optimizing the routes and airspace around the airport to reduce delays  The air cargo industry is known for its resilience and adaptability, but right now it is vulnerable under the weight of challenges it, for the most part, cannot really influence.

The International Air Transport Association is urging the aviation industry to accelerate its digital transformation, highlighting data sharing, automation and common standards as key to building a more efficient and connected ecosystem. The association emphasizes that progress must deliver value for all stakeholders including airlines, customers and partners, creating a true ‘win-win-win’ scenario across the value chain.

A CEO panel at the World Data Symposium discussed how initiatives such as ONE Record are helping to replace fragmented legacy systems with a single shared data model. This enables real time visibility, more efficient data exchange and improved coordination across air cargo operations. As global supply chains become increasingly complex and time sensitive, these capabilities are becoming essential for maintaining reliability and service quality.

At the same time, automation and artificial intelligence are playing a growing role in optimizing operations, from smarter capacity planning to more resilient network management. However, IATA stresses that technology alone is not sufficient. Industry-wide collaboration aligned standards and trust between stakeholders are critical to fully unlock the benefits of digitalization.

From a CargoForwarder Global perspective, the direction is clear: Digitalization is no longer a differentiator but a baseline requirement for participation in global air cargo networks. The real competitive edge will lie in how effectively companies integrate data across partners and translate it into operational value. Those who move early towards interoperable, data driven ecosystems are likely to benefit most as the industry continues to transition away from fragmented legacy processes.

The GSSA contract which came into effect on 23MAR26, sees ECS Group subsidiary, Globe Air Cargo Dominican Republic, assume the commercial responsibility for ensuring that Uniworld Air Cargo’s freighter capacities are filled when they leave Punta Cana Airport (PUJ). The Panamanian airline operates two flights per week from Punta Cana to its homebase at Panama City (PTY), where connecting flights open up opportunities for links to other Latin American (notable Mexico via Mexico City’s Felipe Ángeles International Airport – NLU) and international destinations in the U.S and Canada. Globe Air Cargo Dominican Republic was contracted to support the launch of these freighter flights, which depart every Thursday and Sunday. The Boeing 737 freighter deployed on the route, offers a weekly capacity of around 40 tons – and is open for a broad range of shipment types including general cargo, live animals (AVI), perishables (PER), and oversized shipments.

The Punta Cana Air Cargo Hub features modern infrastructure, including 4,000 square meters of cold storage, specialized transit processes, direct ramp access, and advanced security and handling equipment.

“This new partnership reinforces ECS Group’s ability to rapidly deploy tailored cargo solutions, combining strong commercial execution with operational expertise. Customers benefit from optimized capacity access, increased flexibility, and seamless booking supported by ECS Group’s digital ecosystem and global sales infrastructure,” the press release states, going on to point out that this latest contract is another string to ECS Group’s bow when it comes to its growing presence in the Americas.

Ivan Mejia, Managing Director of Globe Air Cargo Dominican Republic, said: “Securing this agreement with Uniworld is a strong validation of our commercial agility and market expertise. This operation not only strengthens connectivity within the region but also unlocks new opportunities for our customers through reliable, high-frequency freighter capacity.”

Jossette Navarro, Commercial Director at Uniworld Air Cargo, commented: “The Dominican Republic represents a market with significant growth potential for both exports and imports. Beyond its local strength, it is a strategic gateway to Europe and Canada. Through this partnership with ECS Group, we are confident in our ability to accelerate our market penetration while offering competitive and efficient cargo solutions across the region and into North America.”

Cathay Cargo recently unveiled it latest digital enhancement. Called ‘Manage Booking’, the feature offers freight forwarders real-time control over changes to their shipments. The carrier speaks of a ‘significant upgrade’ and enhancement of the user experience of its booking channel, since it a reaction to an old pain point – namely the inefficiency of having to resort to phone calls and analog workflows when booking changes were necessary – and then having to wait for office hours in order to get feedback or confirmation that the modifications were done. Manage Booking is available around the clock on the cargo airline’s website. Forwarders are therefore free to make adaptations to bookings as and when they need to, and can action these directly via the platform. Those changes include: updates to shipper or consignee information, flight and date modifications or shipment size adaptations. What can be done online goes online, freeing up Cathay Cargo’s expert team to personally assist forwarders in making any complex changes – this offering “the right level of support for every scenario”, the release underlines, emphasizing the company’s commitment to customer-centric digitalization. The latest feature was designed around forwarder workflows.

Manage Booking offers clear operational advantages:

• Centralized oversight: A single dashboard provides real-time visibility into all bookings, regardless of channel, making tracking and management simple and efficient.
• Change previews: Users can see exactly how a modification will affect the booking status and cost before confirming the update.
• Activity tracking and notifications: Automated email alerts and full audit histories keep every stakeholder informed and aligned.

“Manage Booking is the latest in a series of digital initiatives setting new standards for air cargo, including becoming the first airline globally to offer real-time customs clearance status via IATA’s ONE Record protocol, deploying intelligent tool to reduce Cathay Expert’s heavyweight cargo planning time, and rolling out Cargo Connect to digitize operational workflows worldwide,” it stresses.

Dominic Perret, Director Cargo, Cathay, stated: “As the air cargo industry evolves, we are committed to leading that transformation by keeping our customers at the center of every innovation. Digital solutions like Manage Booking are about making it easier for freight forwarders to work with us, giving them the control and transparency they need to operate with confidence. We will continue developing digital solutions that our customers value as we strive to become the world’s best air cargo carrier.”

The partnership between Spanish airline, Air Europa Cargo (the air cargo business unit of Air Europa), and ground handling company, Worldwide Flight Services (WFS), (a SATS company), began almost a decade ago, in Madrid, in 2018. Barcelona joined the agreement in JAN21. Those two airports are now secured for another five years of handling services, as the contract was recently renewed for that length of time. This gives the airline further stability in its aim to develop its cargo business out of both locations, with its fleet of Boeing 737 and Boeing 787 aircraft. Already today, WFS handles the cargo for around 350 Air Europa flights a week out of Madrid, destined for other domestic airports, key European destinations or daily connections to the United States and South America. WFS is highly present in Madrid, where it operates five cargo warehouse facilities (17,000 m² in total) and annually handles more than 500,000 tons of freight for more than 30 airline customers. A sixth cargo facility has just been authorized for WFS by the Spanish Airport Authority AENA, and will become operational 2028.

Over in Barcelona, Air Europa Cargo is one of 20 airline customers served by WFS (feeding into an annual handling throughput of 140,000+ tons per year in WFS’ 12,000 m² warehouse). It operates 25+ flights a week from Barcelona.

Jordi Piqué, General Manager Air Europa Cargo says its alliance with WFS will help to drive its growth strategy: “The relationship with WFS means having the right specialized partner as it shares with the company both its vision for the future, based on the implementation of the latest technology, and the continuous improvement of processes. The relationship between Air Europa Cargo and WFS has been based on the ongoing pursuit of operational efficiency and the provision of the highest levels of service quality and safety,” Jordi Piqué stated. “The new agreement will allow this approach to continue through the strengthening and continuous improvement of cargo services across the airline’s network, characterized by the diversity of routes not only on the European continent but also strategic destinations throughout the Americas.”

Humberto Castro, Managing Director of WFS in Spain & Italy, added: “We are proud to be a strategic partner of Air Europa Cargo and look forward to supporting more growth for the airline’s cargo business in Madrid and Barcelona over the next five years. In WFS, the airline knows it has a strong partner which is continuing to invest in modern facilities and continuously reviewing our processes to optimize the efficiency and visibility of the cargo we handle. We remain committed to innovation, using new technologies, and sustainability improvements to underpin the quality of service we deliver at both airports.”

Around this time, last year, CargoForwarder Global reported on Air Charter Service’s charity achievements. The company has just managed the same again – another USD 200,000+ raised for the second year running, thanks to fundraising initiatives carried out by its 800+ employees across six continents. And that money will again go to selected charities. The variety of activities included all kinds of challenges (such as the bike activity pictured above), volunteering, raffles among other things.

Katie Ivie, Group HR Director, who leads the Charity Committee, explained: “The worldwide team has really stepped up again following our record amount last year, with a range of physical challenges, including marathons, a 550 mile bike ride, summitting Kilimanjaro, and donations made by staff towards the relief effort following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica last October. The raffles held at our Christmas parties raised a record amount for charities ($43,000) and combined with other fundraising initiatives, including quiz nights and several bake sales (the most recent being Valentine-themed) helped to raise a total of over $200,000. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one that put in the effort and their hands in their pockets to help to reach this fantastic total. On top of the money-raising activities, ACS employees have been giving back to the community in other ways – including staff in our New York office helping out in a Long Island soup kitchen, volunteers from our London office wrapping Christmas presents for local children’s charity Momentum, and our Brisbane team who contributed to their local Salvation Army, creating food hampers of essentials to give some extra support to families over the holiday period.”

AERO Logistics Network has launched as the first general‑access network built specifically for air freight forwarders. It helps members expand their global reach by connecting them with vetted, airfreight‑focused partners while maintaining strong quality and compliance standards.

AERO focuses on three key pillars:

• AI‑powered verification: Each member is checked for financial and operational reliability before joining.
• Active matchmaking: A built‑in algorithm matches members by trade lanes and business needs, then facilitates direct introductions.
• Global buying power: Members gain access to better carrier deals and volume‑based pricing that small forwarders usually cannot secure alone

AERO is currently in its founding‑member phase, limiting initial membership to the first 50 companies. Founding members receive priority access, fixed‑price terms, and a voice in shaping network rules.

The network will host its first annual conference in Mallorca, Spain, this October, and launch a digital rate‑exchange portal for real‑time airfreight pricing and booking. AERO also plans online learning modules and a ‘young professionals’ group to support career development. In short: AERO is a new global network that connects air freight forwarders with trusted partners, better rates, and digital tools to help them grow internationally.

Leo Barbaroussis, Network Director of AERO Logistics Network, explained: “We’re not providing a contact directory. We’re actively connecting vetted forwarders who can move cargo together. AERO is the first air freight network combining scale, trust, and commercial value.”