Liège Airport loses 27% Asian cargo amid €3 EU parcel fee

The European Union's new €3 charge on small parcels is triggering significant shifts in ecommerce logistics networks across Europe. Liège Airport, a major European air cargo hub, has experienced a dramatic 27% loss of Asian cargo, representing roughly 10% of its total cargo volumes, since the fee's implementation. This outcome underscores a critical reality for supply chain professionals: regulatory interventions designed to level the playing field between domestic and imported parcels are reshaping international trade flows faster and more severely than anticipated. What makes this situation particularly acute is not just the fee itself, but the fragmented enforcement mechanisms across EU member states.

According to Liège's commercial leadership, the inconsistency in how different nations collect and administer the levy is compounding the disruption. Shippers are not simply absorbing the cost; instead, they are actively rerouting cargo to alternative hubs and logistics pathways, suggesting the fee creates sufficient friction to justify operational restructuring. For companies reliant on European distribution networks, this represents both a supply chain vulnerability and a cost pressure that extends beyond the €3 itself. The long-term implications are structural.

If Asian e-retailers and third-party logistics providers continue to redirect volume away from traditional European air gateways like Liège, the financial model of these hubs becomes unsustainable, potentially triggering further consolidation in European air freight infrastructure. Supply chain teams must now factor in not just tariff costs, but also gateway viability and collection rule variance when modeling parcel logistics into Europe.