Digital transformation and e-commerce are reshaping air logistics, giving your business a competitive edge.
E-commerce demand continues to skyrocket – bringing with it a huge surge in high-value, time-sensitive global shipments.
For many global businesses, and particularly those operating on the Asia-Europe and Europe-North America trade corridors, this brings about significant challenges when delivering to faraway destinations without delays.
As consumers increasingly expect faster delivery times and wider product availability, air freight offers the speed and reliability needed to meet rising service expectations. And European businesses are catching on – with European carriers seeing a 4.5%1 increase in demand growth for air cargo in March 2025.
This is a trend especially evident in sectors where time to market is critical – such as fashion2, pharmaceuticals and electronics. For instance, many global fashion brands are intensifying their focus on Asian markets – not just in China, but also in fast-growing economies such as Japan, Korea and India.
While a steady 4.4% economic growth is expected in Asia-Pacific this year, it’s not just this region that will see increased demand. Transnational3 e-commerce is expected to drive explosive growth across the entire world over the next five years. As supply chains become more digitally integrated and retailers adopt omnichannel strategies to reach customers globally, air freight will serve as a crucial enabler of cross-continent fulfilment.
Changing buying habits driving unpredictable demand in Europe
Customer buying behaviour is evolving at a rapid pace posing serious forecasting and planning challenges for global businesses. Among the most disruptive shifts is the persistent uptick in online shopping, which has upended traditional models of inventory management, logistics and demand prediction.
This volatility is especially obvious in the fashion4 sector, where revenue in the European e-commerce market is forecasted to grow between 2024 and 20295 by 98.9 billion USD in total. The surge in e-commerce adoption, combined with emerging consumer preferences and the rise of AI-powered curation, is leading to unpredictable pendulum swings in demand. In response, brands are rethinking their supply chain and delivery strategies – pivoting towards smarter, leaner models in an effort to reduce excess inventory and push towards more agile manufacturing and distribution.
But this shift isn’t limited to fashion. In the pharmaceutical6 industry, traditionally one of Europe’s most stable performers, global economic policies and the potential upending of tariffs exemptions threaten to reshape the landscape. And as companies pre-emptively reassess sourcing and production strategies, they’re also grappling with new and evolving product requirements. The growing demand for smaller volumes of highly sensitive pharmaceuticals is creating a need for precise, flexible and responsive logistics solutions.
Across both industries, air freight is emerging as a necessary enabler of global delivery. It allows businesses to move time-sensitive goods quickly across borders, ensuring they can evolve alongside customer expectations and in lockstep with market conditions.
With deep expertise in transporting timely goods, Maersk Air is well placed to support this next chapter of global commerce. Whether it’s managing just-in-time inventory or safeguarding shipments – Maersk delivers the speed and precision modern supply chains demand.
Driving supply chain agility with digital transformation
As e-commerce continues to assert itself as a true growth driver in the air freight sector, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) is urging businesses to accelerate their digital transformation strategies. And the push for modernisation isn’t just about meeting the increasingly complex demands of fast-moving trade – it’s about staying competitive.
According to the IATA, cargo facilities worldwide are upgrading process automation and digitisation. Key priorities include:
- Real-time data exchange
- AI-powered planning
- Robotic automated handling
These innovations are being shaped largely by the needs of e-commerce and retail shipments that require ultra reliability, rapid processing and end-to-end security.
Results from digital proof-of-concept initiatives are promising. IATA reports that the use of digital cargo planning tools has delivered measurable impact, including a 33.75%7 reduction in cargo build-up time per flight, plus a 22%8 increase in free space. Highlighting that both efficiency and sustainability gains are to be had from digitising the supply chain.
As the air freight industry moves towards a more digital future, Maersk stands firm as a trusted partner for businesses navigating this complicated transition. Maersk Air offers tailored and sophisticated solutions designed to meet the unique needs of each customer.
Beyond Air Freight, Maersk’s end-to-end capabilities – including contract logistics and vast network of facilities – allow customers to build future-ready supply chains that keep pace with today’s needs.
Helping you adapt to rapidly changing demands
When you’re dealing with urgent demands, short product lifespans and next-day deliveries, treating air freight as a back-up solution can take away your supply chain resilience and leave your supply chain open to delays.
Seamless and fast connectivity is not only key to keeping your supply chain on the move – it’s about retaining a competitive edge in a busy market.
Maersk Air Freight has now doubled its global air freight capacity, providing safe and reliable transport to 90+ countries. Our network of experts has a wealth of both worldwide and regional expertise to enable customers to not only adapt but capitalise on changing supply chain demands.
Find out more about how we can support you with your air freight needs here.
- https://www.iata.org/en/pressroom/2025-releases/2025-04-29-01/
- https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion
- https://www.statista.com/topics/871/online-shopping/
- https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/state-of-fashion
- https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1301873/europe-fashion-e-commerce-revenue
- https://www.efpia.eu/media/3dqjpl3x/economic-footprint-of-the-pharmaceutical-industry-in-europe-report.pdf
- 2025 Vision for the Future of Air Cargo Facilities
- 2025 Vision for the Future of Air Cargo Facilities
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