Rhenus lifts China-Europe airfreight by 11% in January-October

German forwarder Rhenus carried 11% more airfreight from China to Europe between January and October 2026 than in the same months last year, according to aircargonews.net. The article by Damian Brett was published on 3 November.

Growth on the China-Germany lane was even stronger, at more than 20%, a company spokesperson said. Rhenus achieved this in a market where e-commerce volumes from China have fallen since the European Union introduced a €3 charge on parcels worth up to €150.

Where the growth came from

Rhenus attributes the result to new customers. On this lane, high-tech is the company’s fastest-growing sector.

In the opposite direction, from Europe to China, Rhenus’s airfreight volumes rose by 20% year on year. The publication compares this with data from Rotate, an analytics and consultancy firm, which estimates that overall market demand in this direction fell by 5%. The source does not say whether Rhenus measures volumes in tonnes or another unit. The company does not give absolute figures.

Chris Bode, vice president of air freight at Rhenus, explained the strategy:

Our strategy is to grow in sectors where specialist expertise makes a difference to customers’ businesses. High-tech is a clear priority on the China–Europe corridor.

From aircargonews.net

Bode said Rhenus pairs this sector focus with flexible access to space on airline flights and expects the two together to keep volumes growing. He did not explain what that flexibility involves, for example whether Rhenus buys space under fixed contracts or on the spot market.

The EU charge and the e-commerce slump

Rhenus itself says the market has become “softer”, meaning it has weakened, but does not specify whether it means demand, rates or flight load factors. The company blames the EU decision: the €3 charge on each parcel worth up to €150 is meant to curb the wave of e-commerce imports. Citing Rotate, the company says e-commerce volumes in July and August were 28% lower than in June. The article does not make clear whether each month was compared with June separately or both months together.

The article does not say when the charge took effect or who pays it, the sender or the recipient. Nor does the source say how much e-commerce Rhenus carried before the charge or what share of its volumes it accounted for.

The backbone of Rhenus’s network in China

The company runs two of its own cargo hubs (consolidation centres), in Shanghai and Hong Kong. There, cargo is consolidated and handled before it is handed over to airlines. Rhenus also handles customs clearance, warehousing and onward road delivery itself.

Earlier this year the company told Air Cargo News that it wants to become one of the world’s top ten logistics companies. To get there, Rhenus plans to combine organic growth with selective acquisitions, build strong regional teams and link them into a single global network.

What this means for readers

Rhenus attributes its growth on the China-Europe lane to new customers and high-tech cargo, at a time when e-commerce on the lane is falling. Data from a single forwarder cannot show whether this holds for the lane as a whole.

The figures for the reverse direction suggest that Rhenus has gained market share: the company grew by 20% while the market as a whole, according to Rotate, lost 5%. But this cannot be stated firmly, as Rhenus and Rotate may not use the same unit of measurement.

Shippers who move low-value parcels from China to the EU should watch the July-August figure: after the €3 charge on parcels up to €150 was introduced, e-commerce volumes were 28% below June levels, according to Rotate. These data do not show how much of the decline is due to the charge and how much to seasonality and other factors.