EPISODE · Feb 16, 2026 · 28 MIN
Air Cargo Unpacked | MD-11 Retirement, Capacity Crunch, E-Commerce & TAC Rates
from The Freight Buyers' Club · host Mike King
The freighter capacity crunch is real. In this episode of Air Cargo Unpacked, Mike King and Neel Jones Shah break down UPS retiring its MD-11 fleet, why the aircraft backlog won't normalise until the 2030s, and what it means for air cargo rates. Plus: Dimerco's Kathy Liu on Chinese New Year from Shanghai, exclusive rate analysis from TAC Index's Neil Wilson, and how de minimis policy changes are reshaping e-commerce flows out of China - with North America down 33% and Europe up 22%. We also cover Maersk dumping its 767s for 777s on trans-Pacific, and what the new US-India trade deal could mean for air freight demand. Featuring: Mike King, Host & Executive Producer Neel Jones Shah, Co-Host (ex-Delta, United, Flexport) Kathy Liu, VP Global Sales & Marketing, Dimerco Express Group Neil Wilson, Editor, TAC Index Air Cargo Unpacked is a monthly Freight Buyers' Club production, brought to you by OntegosCloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialist. https://www.ontegos.cloud/ Subscribe for monthly air freight market analysis. #AirCargoUnpacked #FreightBuyersClub #Logistics #AirFreight #Shipping #CargoCapacity #DeMinimis #ChineseNewYear #TACIndex #Ecommerce #GlobalTrade 00:00 Welcome to Air Cargo Unpacked 01:00 UPS Retires MD-11 Fleet 02:30 10% of Widebody Freighter Capacity at Risk 04:30 Aircraft Backlog Hits 17,000 06:00 Conversion Costs Soaring: $80m for a 777 08:00 Chinese New Year: Kathy Liu from Shanghai 10:00 China Plus One: Southeast Asia Booming 12:00 Neel on CNY: Why This Year Is Different 15:30 TAC Index Rate Analysis with Neil Wilson 17:00 Shanghai Rates Up 9% Year on Year 18:00 Spot vs Contract Rates Explained 21:00 De Minimis: US Down 33%, Europe Up 22% 23:00 E-Commerce Is Like a Raging River 24:30 Maersk Sells 767 Freighters to Amazon 27:00 US-India Trade Deal: Stability Returns
What this episode covers
The freighter capacity crunch is real. In this episode of Air Cargo Unpacked, Mike King and Neel Jones Shah break down UPS retiring its MD-11 fleet, why the aircraft backlog won't normalise until the 2030s, and what it means for air cargo rates. Plus: Dimerco's Kathy Liu on Chinese New Year from Shanghai, exclusive rate analysis from TAC Index's Neil Wilson, and how de minimis policy changes are reshaping e-commerce flows out of China - with North America down 33% and Europe up 22%. We also cover Maersk dumping its 767s for 777s on trans-Pacific, and what the new US-India trade deal could mean for air freight demand. Featuring: Mike King, Host & Executive Producer Neel Jones Shah, Co-Host (ex-Delta, United, Flexport) Kathy Liu, VP Global Sales & Marketing, Dimerco Express Group Neil Wilson, Editor, TAC Index Air Cargo Unpacked is a monthly Freight Buyers' Club production, brought to you by OntegosCloud, the freight forwarder profitability specialist. https://www.ontegos.cloud/ Subscribe for monthly air freight market analysis. #AirCargoUnpacked #FreightBuyersClub #Logistics #AirFreight #Shipping #CargoCapacity #DeMinimis #ChineseNewYear #TACIndex #Ecommerce #GlobalTrade 00:00 Welcome to Air Cargo Unpacked 01:00 UPS Retires MD-11 Fleet 02:30 10% of Widebody Freighter Capacity at Risk 04:30 Aircraft Backlog Hits 17,000 06:00 Conversion Costs Soaring: $80m for a 777 08:00 Chinese New Year: Kathy Liu from Shanghai 10:00 China Plus One: Southeast Asia Booming 12:00 Neel on CNY: Why This Year Is Different 15:30 TAC Index Rate Analysis with Neil Wilson 17:00 Shanghai Rates Up 9% Year on Year 18:00 Spot vs Contract Rates Explained 21:00 De Minimis: US Down 33%, Europe Up 22% 23:00 E-Commerce Is Like a Raging River 24:30 Maersk Sells 767 Freighters to Amazon 27:00 US-India Trade Deal: Stability Returns
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Air Cargo Unpacked | MD-11 Retirement, Capacity Crunch, E-Commerce & TAC Rates
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