In this episode of The Freight Debate, host Tom Moffett, Principal Product Manager at Xeneta, sits down with Wenwen Zhang, Xeneta’s Air Freight Development and Analysis Lead, to decode the complex landscape of modern air freight. If you’re navigating the air freight market in 2025, air freight pricing and air freight volatility are two critical forces you can’t afford to ignore.Air freight pricing and air freight volatility have surged as global tensions, pandemic aftershocks, and rising e-commerce reshape the rules. Wenwen brings her deep expertise to explain what’s really moving the market—from post-COVID supply constraints to the explosion of cross-border e-commerce driven by players like Temu and Shein. Together, Tom and Wenwen explore how these trends affect both shippers and carriers—and why the market is more data-driven (and unpredictable) than ever before.

Key insights you’ll learn:

• How COVID turned air freight into a supply-driven rollercoaster
  
  
• Why passenger belly capacity plays a bigger role than most realize
  
  
• How U.S.–China tariffs and the de minimis rule are reshaping global flows
  
  
• The ripple effect of ocean freight disruptions on air freight strategy
  
  
• Why real-time data is now essential for procurement decisions
  
  

Wenwen unpacks how the 2025 tariff resets and the removal of de minimis exemptions have caused dramatic shifts in shipping volumes and rate spikes across critical trade lanes. With nearly half of certain routes driven by e-commerce, minor policy changes have had outsized impacts on air freight capacity, load factor, and ultimately pricing.You’ll also learn how forwarders and shippers are reacting—with many changing strategies overnight. Wenwen and Tom analyze dynamic load factor and procurement trends using Xeneta’s unique combination of shipper, forwarder, and airline rate data. The conversation brings clarity to what’s happening beneath the surface and how to read the signals in near-real time.The episode also tackles the blurred line between ocean and air freight markets. With Red Sea disruptions and unpredictable lead times, shippers are switching modes faster than ever—creating new opportunities (and challenges) for those who are agile.

If you're in procurement, logistics, or supply chain management, this episode gives you a 360° view of how to read the market, time your contracts, and leverage data for better margin control.

Discover how to think ahead in a market where everything changes overnight.