Low-cost carriers in Asia are stuffing passenger planes with cargo for revenue boost as passenger demand is not expected to return to pre-coronavirus levels any time soon.

Although there are trends in Asia towards supply chain regionalization, a spokesperson for Kuehne+Nagel noted that moving production from country to country is not a simple process. “Decoupling is about finding alternatives for future growth and complementing the advantages of the Chinese market. We believe that China will continue to play a very important role in the supply chain also in the future.”

E-commerce and online shopping are driving the company’s volumes on trans-Pacific routes. In January 2021, it will complete its first year of freighter operations to Campinas, Brazil; Santiago; and Bogotá. Qatar Airways also offers belly capacity on its passenger flights to and from Sao Paulo.

E-commerce, which was growing at double-digit rates prior to the pandemic, has accelerated its impact on the air cargo market as more businesses shifted to online selling platforms, a Boeing spokesperson says, making dedicated freighters critical for air freight carriers.