IN Brief:
- AI-related air cargo is driving growth in high-tech flows while e-commerce softens.
- Aevean data shows US high-tech air imports rose sharply in the first quarter.
- Oversized semiconductor and data-centre equipment is increasing demand for widebody freighter capacity.
Morrison Express is seeing AI-related cargo become one of the strongest growth engines in airfreight, as semiconductor, server, data-centre, and networking equipment flows take up capacity across intra-Asia and transpacific routes.
The demand profile is changing while general cargo remains uneven and low-value e-commerce faces pressure from higher transport costs and customs changes. Air cargo growth is increasingly being carried by high-value technology shipments linked to chip production, AI servers, data-centre buildouts, and specialised machinery for advanced electronics manufacturing.
Aevean data shows US air imports rose 11% year-on-year in the first quarter, with almost all of that increase coming from high-tech cargo. High-tech imports rose 70% to 401,000 tonnes, while low-value e-commerce declined and other general cargo increased only modestly.
Data-centre-related air cargo volumes grew 42% last year, led by a 65% increase in GPUs and AI accelerators and a 70% rise in networking equipment. Those flows are high value, schedule-sensitive, and difficult to move by slower modes where deployment deadlines are tight.
The strongest movement is on intra-Asia routes, followed by transpacific services into North America. That reflects the structure of the AI hardware supply chain, with critical manufacturing, assembly, and semiconductor ecosystems concentrated across Taiwan, China, Southeast Asia, South Korea, Japan, and the US.
AI infrastructure is physical before it is digital. Data centres require servers, racks, networking equipment, power systems, cooling components, semiconductors, specialist manufacturing machinery, and installation-critical hardware. Much of that cargo is heavy, fragile, high value, and time-critical, with handling requirements around shock, static, moisture, security, and schedule integrity.
Specialist logistics capacity is already building around that demand. DHL’s dedicated North American data-centre logistics expansion reflects the growing need for project-style logistics around hardware deployment, while freighter delivery delays are forcing cargo operators to review fleet strategy as oversized high-value shipments increase pressure on large widebody aircraft.
Some semiconductor manufacturing equipment creates loading constraints that cannot be solved with ordinary bellyhold capacity. Main-deck freighters, nose-loading aircraft, and specialist handling procedures become more important when cargo dimensions, value, and sensitivity combine. Passenger belly capacity may have returned, but it is not a substitute for every category of advanced technology freight.
The market is also becoming more sensitive to allocation. High-value AI hardware can justify premium rates when deployment deadlines are tied to data-centre commissioning, customer contracts, or chip production schedules. Lower-margin cargo competing for the same lift can be displaced, delayed, or pushed towards alternative modes.
Global airfreight pricing remains elevated on several technology-heavy lanes, supported by limited capacity growth, disruption around Middle East corridors, and strong demand for electronics and AI infrastructure cargo. The effect is not uniform, but the lanes connected to advanced manufacturing and hyperscale deployment are carrying a different demand pattern from the wider market.
The AI investment cycle will not move in a straight line. Power availability, planning approvals, hardware supply, financing, chip capacity, and technology refresh cycles will all shape the pace of data-centre buildout. Even with those constraints, the logistics footprint is already visible. AI infrastructure is now influencing airfreight capacity, warehouse design, project logistics, and specialised handling requirements across some of the world’s most important trade lanes.
