DHL Global Forwarding has launched a dedicated Boeing 777 freighter route from Bangkok to its Cincinnati hub. The service runs three flights a week and carries up to 100 tons each. It is a small move on its own, but it reflects a broader scramble for transpacific air capacity.
What's driving it: This is not the e-commerce boom that filled cargo planes for the past two years. Parcel volumes fell after the U.S. ended de minimis duty-free treatment on low-value imports. Taking its place is high-value technology freight, the AI servers, chips, and electronics that shippers can't afford to leave on a boat for weeks.
By the numbers:
Air-cargo demand grew 7% in June, while capacity added just 3%
Asia-to-North America flights are running near 90% full
Taiwan-U.S. rates hit $7.02 a kilo in May, up 24% from a year earlier
The pattern: DHL is not alone. CEVA, Kuehne+Nagel, and DSV have each added dedicated charter flights into the Chicago area this summer. They are routing Asian tech cargo through an inland gateway rather than the West Coast. By locking in capacity through long-term contracts, the big forwarders are reserving the main deck for themselves, which leaves less on the open spot market for shippers who wait to book.
What DHL says: “Southeast Asia continues to gain strategic importance as a manufacturing and sourcing region,” said Henk Venema, the company’s global head of air freight.
The bigger picture: The same AI boom behind TSMC's $265 billion U.S. expansion is driving demand here. But it also creates a clear risk. The market now depends heavily on AI hardware shipments. If chip demand slows, air freight capacity could loosen as quickly as it tightened.
