Early factory shutdowns ahead of the Lunar New Year (CNY) are leading to a front-loading of air cargo shipments, as exporters rush to move goods before production halts across key Asian manufacturing hubs.
Freight forwarders and airlines report a spike in demand in the weeks preceding the holiday, with shippers accelerating bookings to avoid disruptions caused by extended factory closures. Electronics, apparel, automotive components and e-commerce goods are among the sectors seeing higher air freight volumes.
The early shutdowns have tightened capacity and pushed up air cargo rates on major trade lanes to Europe and North America. Carriers are deploying additional freighter capacity where possible, while shippers are increasingly prioritising time-sensitive and high-value cargo.
Industry participants expect demand to soften sharply during the CNY holiday period before normalising once factories gradually resume operations. However, the front-loaded flows are helping airlines offset seasonal volatility and sustain yields in the lead-up to the holiday slowdown.