IN Brief:
- International airfreight forwarders handled 175.088 million kg in H1 2026, up 15.4% year on year.
- Consolidation remained the largest traffic category, while direct shipments recorded the fastest percentage growth.
- Nippon Express Philippines retained first place with 27.537 million kg and a 15.73% share.
International airfreight forwarders in the Philippines handled 175.088 million kilograms of cargo during the first half of 2026, an increase of 15.4% from 151.757 million kilograms a year earlier, according to data published by the country’s Civil Aeronautics Board.
Nippon Express Philippines Corporation retained the leading position among the 30 international forwarders ranked by the regulator, handling 27.537 million kilograms, equivalent to 15.73% of the reported total. Federal Express Pacific remained second with 16.385 million kilograms and a 9.36% share, followed by DSV Air & Sea with 9.872 million kilograms and 5.64%.
The growth was broad rather than confined to one forwarding model. Consolidated cargo remained the largest segment at 75.069 million kilograms, accounting for 42.9% of the total and rising 15.9% from the first half of 2025. Breakbulk traffic increased 13.4% to 68.469 million kilograms, while direct shipments rose 18.7% to 31.55 million kilograms.
The figures carry an important reporting caveat. The first-half total was compiled with complete volume submissions from 91% of CAB-accredited international airfreight forwarders, compared with 94.01% in the same period last year. The year-on-year comparison therefore reflects slightly different levels of reporting completeness, although the recorded increase is substantially larger than the change in submission rate.
Kintetsu World Express Philippines ranked fourth with 8.944 million kilograms, followed by Kuehne+Nagel with 8.326 million kilograms. Yusen Logistics Philippines recorded 8.281 million kilograms in sixth place, while Expeditors Philippines, DHL Global Forwarding, DHL Express, and UPS Delbros Transport completed the top ten.
The ranking remains comparatively distributed across several large international networks rather than a single dominant forwarder. Nippon Express accounted for just under one sixth of the total, while the wider top group shared a substantial proportion of the remaining volume. Forwarding capacity therefore depends on the ability of several providers to consolidate cargo, secure airline space, and manage customs and ground handling rather than on one carrier alone.
Consolidated traffic remained the largest category. The model allows forwarders to combine shipments from multiple customers into larger airfreight movements, improving the use of purchased capacity and giving smaller shippers access to international routes without booking entire unit loads themselves. Its 15.9% increase points to continuing demand for intermediary capacity management rather than a shift towards direct shipper-airline relationships.
Direct shipments nevertheless grew faster than the other reported categories, rising 18.7%. That can reflect customers choosing dedicated movement arrangements where urgency, shipment size, handling requirements, or control justify a more direct routing. The simultaneous growth of direct and consolidated traffic indicates expansion across more than one customer and service profile.
The figures also provide a useful counterpoint to domestic airfreight conditions. Earlier 2026 data showed domestic forwarder volumes falling in the first quarter, while international traffic has now recorded double-digit first-half growth. The two markets serve different shipment patterns and are not directly comparable, but the contrast underlines the importance of separating international trade flows from domestic distribution when assessing air cargo demand.
CAB regulates the economic side of Philippine air transportation and issues authority to airfreight forwarders as part of its remit. Its 2026 international cargo statistics therefore measure forwarding activity rather than airline tonnage alone, capturing the cargo handled by companies arranging and managing international air movements.
Below the leading group, the ranking includes a broad mix of multinational forwarding networks. CEVA Logistics Philippines, Schenker Philippines, Maersk Logistics and Services Philippines, Dimerco Express Philippines, and Morrison Express Philippines all appear in the top 20, alongside local and regional operators. The spread reinforces the role of the Philippines as a market served through several global forwarding networks rather than a small number of express carriers alone.
The data also separate the forwarding market into operational categories that behave differently. Consolidation depends on grouping compatible shipments and managing scheduled uplift efficiently, while breakbulk activity reflects the deconsolidation of inbound grouped cargo before onward distribution. Direct traffic removes some of those intermediate grouping steps. Growth across all three categories therefore points to higher activity at several stages of the international air cargo chain.
The next test is whether the growth rate holds through the second half. Capacity, fuel-related charges, and the performance of major gateways will shape the operating environment, while forwarders will continue to balance consolidation efficiency against demand for faster direct movements. The first-half data show that international forwarding activity entered the second half of 2026 from a substantially higher recorded volume base than a year earlier.
