Colography predicts the value of cargo moving by air to continue to decline as goods moving by surface modes will grow. While it says the total value of goods to be shipped by air will rise 8.9%in 2006, the value of each pound of international freight moving by air will only increase by 0.4% year over year. At the same time, projections are that the total value of each pound of cargo moving by surface means – vessels and trucks – will climb by 4.5%, with the total value of all cargo moving by those modes growing 13.7% over this year’s forecasts.
“Over time, steamship and trucking operations have become more reliable and expedited in delivery time,” says Ted Scherck, Colography Group’s president. “For many companies capable of migrating to surface from air, modal conversion is becoming an increasingly viable option. Indeed, if fuel prices remain at their current levels, modal conversion may become a competitive imperative for shippers and goods at the margin of the cost/value proposition.”
A couple of other Colography Group projections:
• Western Europe will lead the areas the company covers in its transborder air export activity, and will account for 48.1% of all tonnage and 52.1% of all value.
• Air’s share of world tonnage will gradually decline in the future. For 2006, 99.46% of all global transborder tonnage will move by surface transportation.
• Only Asia, South America and Western Europe are projected to export more air tonnage than they import. Africa, Australia & Oceania and North America are expected to be the leading net air importers.
