Daily Briefing – October 9, 2025
Welcome to today’s edition of the Airfreight Insider Daily Briefing, your go-to summary of key trends and breaking stories shaping the global air cargo and aviation logistics landscape. From industry shake-ups to sustainability debates and fleet updates, here’s what logistics professionals need to know this Thursday.
Airbus Boosts Delivery Pace Amid Year-End Push
Airbus is accelerating production to meet its ambitious full-year delivery target. After a record 73 aircraft delivered in September alone, the European manufacturer has handed over a total of 507 jets in the first nine months of 2025. However, with the year-end goal set at 820 planes, Airbus faces a demanding final quarter, needing to deliver over 300 aircraft in just three months – a significant ramp-up to clear the backlog, including a notable reduction in planes awaiting engines. Meanwhile, Swiss celebrates the arrival of its first Airbus A350-900, currently en route from Toulouse to Zürich, marking a milestone for the Lufthansa Group subsidiary.
Smoother Q4 Airfreight Rates But Uncertainty Lingers
Spot rates for airfreight from China to Europe have recently softened following a pre-Golden Week surge. Rates dropped by 4% over the past two weeks but remain about 1.5% higher than mid-September levels. Prior to the Chinese holiday, rates climbed nearly 6%, evidencing ongoing market volatility. Industry watchers are now closely monitoring whether traditional Q4 uplift in volumes and rates — typically driven by seasonal rushes — will materialize this year amid global economic uncertainties.
Aviation Sustainability: Biofuels and Carbon Projects Under Scrutiny
New research commissioned by environmental activist group Transport & Environment has delivered a sobering verdict on biofuels. According to the study by Cerulogy, many biofuel variants — including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), bio-diesel, and marine biofuels like FAME — may result in higher overall CO2 emissions than conventional fossil fuels, challenging their touted climate benefits. In parallel, airlines are ramping up their carbon offset and removal efforts: Air New Zealand announced plans to invest in nature-based CO2 removal projects, aiming to acquire 8,000 tonnes of certified offsets by 2030 through partnerships focused on local reforestation.
EU Launches Tool to Track Non-CO2 Climate Effects
In a bid to more comprehensively assess aviation’s climate footprint, the European Commission and Eurocontrol have introduced NEATS, an IT system for capturing data on non-CO2 effects such as contrails and other atmospheric influences. Airlines can now start contributing information, with full capabilities expected later this year. This initiative aims to improve climate impact transparency beyond traditional carbon metrics — a growing topic of interest for regulators and industry players alike.
Industry Watch: Restructuring, Legal Challenges, and Market Moves
- Dachser is undertaking a strategic reorganization to reinforce operational efficiency and network quality, reassuring long-term stakeholders but raising questions among some about the company’s future direction.
- FedEx faces a major class-action lawsuit involving over 2,200 drivers in Pennsylvania, highlighting ongoing legal and labor risks in the logistics sector amid cost-cutting pressures.
- Joby Aviation recently completed a $514 million capital raise but saw its share price drop by over 11%, underscoring challenges faced by emerging urban air mobility players in convincing investors.
New Routes and Fleet Updates
- Lufthansa launches inaugural flights of its Boeing 787-9 “Allegris” cabin out of Frankfurt, starting service to Toronto, with plans to add Rio de Janeiro, Bogotá, and Hyderabad under the winter schedule.
- Riyadh Air will commence daily flights from Riyadh to London Heathrow on October 26; however, it currently operates without its own aircraft and ticket sales begin only in December.
- Eurowings is expanding its charter offerings with weekly Airbus A320 flights between Düsseldorf and Tenerife North scheduled for spring 2026.
- Air Corsica will introduce summer 2026 seasonal flights connecting Ajaccio with Munich (twice weekly) and Vienna (once or twice weekly, also serving Bastia), targeting German- and Austrian-speaking markets.
- Tap Air Portugal’s leadership highlighted growth opportunities in Brazil and Africa, with an existing network spanning 13 Brazilian cities and 14 African destinations.
Safety Incident: UPS Boeing 767 Loses Metal Parts On Approach
An operational hiccup occurred when a UPS Boeing 767 freight aircraft lost two metal parts during approach at Cologne/Bonn airport. The cockpit crew had reported issues prior to landing, though no injuries were reported. The incident remains under investigation.
New EU Entry-Exit System to Affect Zurich Airport From November
From November 17, 2025, Zurich Airport will implement the EU’s new Entry/Exit System (EES), changing border procedures for third-country nationals. Travelers from Switzerland and the EU/EFTA area will see minimal changes, but longer wait times for others are anticipated as border control adapts to the new process.
Thought Leadership: Towards Intelligent, Networked Air Traffic
Experts Karsten Benz and Jörg Buxbaum advocate for the integration of digital twins, AI, and human operators into a learning, interconnected air traffic management ecosystem. Their vision moves beyond isolated technology fixes towards a smart, adaptive system leveraging collective intelligence — a concept gaining traction as aviation grapples with increasing complexity and sustainability demands.
That wraps up today’s briefing. Stay tuned for the daily YouTube video where we deep-dive into some of these topics, and as always, fly safe and plan smart!