Airlines Add Winter Freighter Capacity as Forwarders Face Seasonal Squeeze

Major global carriers including Air Canada Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo, Air France, JAL, and Cathay Cargo are deploying additional freighter capacity across multiple continents this winter, targeting seasonal gaps created by reduced passenger flight belly capacity. Air Canada alone is launching three new dedicated freighter routes from Toronto: twice-weekly Amsterdam service beginning 29 October, three weekly flights to Monterrey starting 26 October, and up to two weekly services to Panama City from 25 October. These additions reflect structural demand driven by semiconductor and data-centre equipment shipments from Asia, alongside Latin American perishable exports. However, the capacity additions come with operational friction for freight forwarders.

Seasonal timetable transitions force renegotiation of block-space allocations, with airlines reducing historical capacity on some routes while adding it on others. One forwarder told The Loadstar that securing replacement capacity from Europe to the US is becoming "a little bit of a challenge," particularly when airlines cut allocations from three to two pallets mid-season. Simultaneously, Air Canada, MSC Air Cargo, and JAL have announced significant fuel surcharge increases, with Air Canada raising charges by up to 27% for UK-North America shipments and MSC increasing its surcharge by 35% effective mid-October. The net effect is mixed: additional routing flexibility and capacity on strategic lanes, but increased cost burden and administrative complexity for forwarders managing spot market shortfalls.

Demand continues to outpace supply globally: IATA reported year-over-year cargo demand growth of 4.4% in August while capacity declined 0.1%, with Asia-North America demand growth reaching 13.2%. This structural imbalance suggests pricing power will remain with carriers through the peak season.