A survey of 180 Asia Pacific shippers conducted by freight forwarder Dimerco indicates that most respondents expect cargo demand to rise in the coming six months, while also anticipating ongoing supply chain volatility. The findings were published on July 15, 2026.
Read also: Global Air Cargo Demand Rises 6.0% in May 2026, IATA Reports
According to the survey, 71% of participants foresee an increase in air and ocean cargo demand during the second half of the year. This outlook is driven by underlying trade growth and defensive measures such as rerouting, front-loading, and modal shifts, which are responses to geopolitical uncertainty.
When asked to explain the expected demand growth, 32.7% of respondents cited geopolitical factors, 30.5% pointed to demand growth itself, 20.4% mentioned economic conditions, 12.2% referenced capacity changes, and 4.1% noted inventory adjustments.
The survey also found that supply chain disruptions are a regular occurrence for most shippers. Specifically, 58.8% reported that shipments are delayed on a monthly basis, 15.7% experience weekly delays, and another 15.7% face delays once or twice a year. The three main causes of disruption were identified as geopolitical disruption, port congestion, and customs or regulatory delays.
Disruption is concentrated on key trade lanes. The Asia-North America corridor was the most frequently cited route for both air and ocean users, selected by 57% of active air users and 61% of active ocean users. The Asia-Europe lane ranked second. Dimerco advised that companies using these corridors should monitor policy changes, carrier allocation, and gateway congestion through the remainder of the year.
For the airfreight market, the top operational challenges reported were rate volatility, schedule reliability, geopolitical disruption, capacity constraints, and customs clearance delays.
The survey further revealed that 42% of shippers had changed their primary logistics provider in the past 12 months. Among those who switched, 70% cited pricing as a reason, 60% cited service reliability, and 35% mentioned both. Better regional coverage was a factor for 25%, followed by capacity availability and digital visibility.
Additional findings showed that 92% of respondents reported that freight rates had increased over the past year, and 84% said they had altered their shipment strategy frequently or occasionally due to disruption. Dimerco noted that delays are no longer occasional exceptions, which changes planning conversations. The company recommended that shippers plan for higher demand without assuming smoother execution, treat disruption as a standing operating condition, build extra protection around ocean reliability, use air selectively as a pressure-release valve, compare modes on total economics and risk, and evaluate providers across price, execution, and resilience.
