Air Cargo

Taiwan air cargo capacity tightens as AI chip demand sustains pricing pressure

Air cargo capacity from Taiwan remains constrained with rates climbing across all trade lanes, driven by persistent demand for artificial intelligence and semiconductor shipments, according to freight forwarder Dimerco.

Taiwan-to-US traffic is particularly robust, fueled by AI-related goods movements. South Korea's load factors to the US have climbed to nearly 90%.

Meanwhile, US-bound volumes from China remain lackluster with no meaningful pickup.

Asia-Europe demand continues to struggle following the European Union's removal of its de minimis exemption on July 1, compounded by typical summer holiday seasonality.

Taiwan, South Korea, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore represent the tightest airfreight markets in the region. Some China-Vietnam and China-Thailand volumes have shifted to road transport on cost and lead-time grounds.

Middle East re-routing continues to strain long-haul capacity, while weather disruptions at Chinese gateways and Indian monsoons add operational delays.