Freighter capacity between China and Hong Kong and the European Union appears to have declined following the start of a new European Union fee for the import of small packages on 1 July.
Figures from data provider and consultant Rotate show that dedicated direct freighter capacity from China and Hong Kong over a 48-hour period starting Monday morning was down 19% compared with the previous week.
Capacity declines are largest at known e-commerce gateways such as Budapest and Milan Malpensa.
In Asia, Hong Kong is the most-impacted origin with a 47% week-on-week decline in dedicated freighter capacity, with the likes of Urumqi and Nanjing in China showing “significant declines”, Rotate said.
However, the week-on-week decline could be partly explained by front-loading in the week prior to the new rules coming into place.
As of 1 July, the EU introduced a temporary €3 customs duty on low-value parcels imported from outside the EU, mainly through e-commerce.
This customs duty includes a wide range of products commonly bought online, such as clothing, toys, electronics, and other consumer goods.
The new duty will apply per item, based on tariff classification and not quantity, said the European Commission.
“Every day, millions of low-value parcels enter the EU,” said the EC. “Many contain products that do not meet EU safety standards or are undervalued or falsely declared to avoid customs duties.
“At the same time, the current customs duty exemption gives non-EU sellers an unfair advantage over businesses that manufacture or sell products in the EU.”
Parcelhero‘s head of consumer research David Jinks warned that the move would alter the economics of selling goods into Europe, pointing out that if a parcel contained multiple items, each one of those would need to pay a €3 charge.
He added that the late publication of official guidance – just weeks before implementation – had also caused “alarm among logistics operators”.
A coalition of logistics and parcel firms in May wrote to the European Union requesting a phased implementation of the new rules.
The abolition of the de minimis rule could be followed later in the year by a separate €2 processing fee, expected in November 2026.
Some EU member states are already introducing their own local fees and requirements in parallel with the EU-wide reform.
