Air cargo must adapt to e-commerce’s rapid growth

In the latest edition of Air Cargo Management, TIACA’s Glyn Hughes outlines how air cargo must adapt to e-commerce’s rapid growth through harmonised standards, smarter data and sustainable operations.

As a early entrant and on-going investor into meeting the ever-increasing challenges of providing logistics services to this rapidly expanding sector of global trade, this makes very interesting reading for the U-Freight Group.

In the article Hughes reports that at the close of 2024, e-commerce accounted for approximately 20% of air cargo volumes worldwide, with projections that those volumes could double within the following decade.

Various business models have been employed to handle, process, transport, clear and deliver this high volume of shipments. However, as the growth happened over a rapid period, accelerated by Covid-induced changes in consumer behaviours, many deviations to processes emerged. 

Commenting on the market outlook for e-commerce, Hughes added that air cargo accounts for approximately 35% of global trade value annually,  worth an estimated USD 9.0 trillion. In volume terms, this equates to more than 64 million metric tonnes.

E-commerce volumes have grown steadily over the last five years, and industry estimates indicate that it now accounts for over 12 million metric tonnes.
 
Changes in consumer behaviour have shifted from traditional retail ‘brick and mortar’ to online marketplaces, C2C platforms and direct sales channels. 

Social media-based retail activity via Instagram, Facebook and the growing TikTok shop amongst others are accelerating this evolution.

This is certainly the U-Freight Group’s experience and we are ready to meet the ever-increasing challenges of providing logistics services to this ever-expanding sector of global trade.

At U-Freight, in our development of e-commerce logistics solutions, we are continually trying to address the key issues stemming from increasing volumes e-commerce shipments and the time sensitivity thereof.

Examples of those efforts include investment in several of the company’s warehouse facilities to enable them to act as e-commerce fulfilment centres (EFCs).

We are a logistics partner of choice for the growing number of online channels and platforms which entrepreneurs are using to sell their own designs and products, including global eCommerce shipping platforms, and are heavily involved in the Fulfilled by Amazon programme in several countries.

Our e+Solutions (ePlus) product assists small businesses with their e-commerce logistics fulfilment needs.

To read the Air Cargo Management article in full please visit the following website.

https://www.aviationbusinessnews.com/digital-issue/air-cargo-insights-november-2025/

For more information about the U-Freight Group’s international freight services and e-commerce logistics and fulfilment operations, please visit the relevant pages of this website, or contact your local office, which can be seen here: https://ufreight.com/locations