Air Cargo

EU Import Fee Stalls Air Cargo E-Commerce Growth in July

A new European Union import charge of €3 on packages valued below €150 halted e-commerce air cargo volume growth in July 2026. Shipments from China to Europe plummeted 24% month-over-month to 112,000 tonnes as carriers responded by slashing freighter capacity on the China-Europe corridor by approximately 28%. Air China Cargo cut 25 weekly flights to 35, while China Central Airlines reduced service from 30 to 20 weekly flights. SF Express halved capacity from 20 to 10 flights per week, and CMA CGM dropped from 12 to three flights. The regulatory change concentrated damage at e-commerce hubs including Budapest, Liege, Urumqi and Hong Kong, with Budapest experiencing a 58% capacity reduction. Despite the July contraction, global e-commerce volumes rose 23% compared with two years earlier to 295,000 tonnes, indicating underlying sector resilience.