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Cainiao strengthens cross-border customs clearance capabilities in Mexico

Chinese e-commerce logistics and technology company Cainiao has strengthened its customs clearance capabilities in Mexico for cross-border customers. By combining customs clearance with last-mile delivery, parcels can move through Cainiao's network with better visibility and tighter control over exceptions, helping reduce delays and risks caused by multiple handoffs, said the company. Since entering the Mexican market in 2024, Cainiao has continued to expand its local network and now operates a 20,000 sq m sorting centre and 38 consolidation and delivery stations. Located near Felipe Ángeles International Airport, a major cargo hub in Mexico, the sorting centre supports faster inbound transfer and parcel processing. Cainiao plans to add more automation at the facility to further improve sorting efficiency and peak-season capacity. The company said it has also built strong partnerships with major cross-border and local e-commerce platforms and brands, including Inditex, Mercado Libre, Temu and TikTok. Earlier this month, Cainiao launched a cross-border logistics service that enables parcels to be delivered within three calendar days on 15 international routes. The company has also announced that its local express network in Mexico has expanded from 20 states to nationwide coverage. The company has also launched local pickup services in Mexico City and the State of Mexico. Major areas in Mexico City and the State of Mexico now offer two-day delivery, while key cities in other parts of the country can be served within three days. The company is using AI-powered dispatching, route planning, address recognition and image recognition technologies to improve last-mile accuracy and fulfilment reliability. Shen Jianfeng, vice president of Cainiao, said Mexico's logistics market is seeing growing and more diverse demand. He said cross-border sellers increasingly need stable, compliant customs clearance and a more controllable end-to-end fulfilment process, while the rapid growth of local e-commerce has raised domestic sellers' expectations for broader coverage, faster delivery and more precise service. "Mexico's cross-border and domestic e-commerce sectors are both growing rapidly, making the market a key focus for Cainiao. We will continue to strengthen our local network and team capabilities," Jianfeng added.

DHL cargo plane forced to make emergency landing at LAX

At around 11pm local time last night, a DHL cargo plane made an emergency landing at LA Airport. Flames could be seen on the tyres of the aircraft as it touched down after leaving Phoenix, Arizona. Emergency crews rushed to the aircraft, forcing one of the runways to temporarily close. The cause of the fire on the aircraft is not yet known, and it is believed that no one has been injured.

Signs of stabilisation on China-Europe routes

Figures from WorldACD Market Data for 17 August to 23 August suggest that China-Europe air cargo traffic is beginning to stabilise after several weeks of decline, following the 1 July introduction of European Union import duty rules for low-value imports, including e-commerce. During week 34, chargeable weight from mainland China and Hong Kong to Europe crept up by 1% week on week - the first such increase since early June, WorldACD noted. The data provider said: "Although it's relatively early days since the 1 July ending of EU 'de minimis' exemptions on low-value imports, the WoW [week-on-week] uptick in tonnages from China and Hong Kong to Europe could signal a bottoming out of that downward trend and a potential stabilisation of volumes at a new lower level, supported by rebounding post-summer demand." However, compared to week 34 of 2025 volumes are substantially down: by 8% on mainland China-Europe routes and by 33% for Hong Kong-Europe tonnages. More generally for Asia Pacific-Europe traffic, volumes rose by 3% week on week. A massive 88% increase on traffic ex Japan was the main factor in this development (volumes in the preceding week were hit by the country's Obon festival as well as flight cancellations out of Tokyo owing to tropical storm Chan-Hom). Elsewhere, Asia Pacific-US volumes were "flat" week on week, WorldACD said, a 33% rise in tonnages ex Japan offset by declines in other origin markets (China down 3% and Hong Kong down 2%, for instance). Year-on-year comparisons for traffic to the US are tricky given the many changes to US import tariffs and exemptions. Still, tonnages ex China were up 11%, and from Hong Kong up 9 percent, compared to the same week of 2025. As for total Asia Pacific origin volumes, WorldACD said: "Total Asia Pacific origin volumes in week 34 were up, WoW, by +7 percent, after falling by around -5 percent the previous week, taking them back slightly above their levels of week 33, and +4 percent higher than the equivalent week last year. More than half of that +7 percent WoW increase is explained by the recovery ex-Japan." Volumes from the Middle East and South Asia origins rose by 4% week on week and 7% year on year, despite the continuing disruptions to capacity and traffic in parts of that region due to the US-Iran confrontation. Week-on-week increases from India to Europe (up 5 percent) and Dubai/Bangladesh (up 6 percent) to Europe contrasted with a drop from Dubai to the US (down 15%). Out of Europe and the US, volumes were down week on week by 4 percent and 2 percent respectively though - "limiting global WoW growth to +2 percent in week 34, and the YoY [year-on-year] worldwide increase to +5 percent" according to WorldACD. Similar to week 32, average global air cargo spot rates rose by 1% week on week. For China-Europe shipments spot rates have picked up for three weeks in a row as carriers have adjusted capacity to match new levels of demand in the wake of the EU de minimis change. "Among the key origin markets, spot rates from key high-tech export hubs such as South Korea (+25%, YoY), Taiwan (+25%), and many parts of southeast Asia, were well above the regional average, including Vietnam (+22%, YoY), Thailand (+32%), Malaysia (+42%)," WorldACD observed. Rates ex Asia Pacific to the US have held steady of late, as has global airfreight capacity -which edged up by 1% week on week in week 34. The ongoing Israel conflict has impacted capacity out of the Middle East, South Asia and the Gulf, while Europe and North America have seen increases in capacity since that war began.