• AI is creating a high-value airfreight opportunity: Growing investment in AI and data centres is driving demand for semiconductors and advanced electronics, around two-thirds of which move by air. Pharmaceuticals, perishables and specialised products such as cell and gene therapies are also increasing demand for secure, precise and highly controlled logistics.
• E-commerce is driving the bigger volume challenge: Global e-commerce sales reached US$6.8 trillion in 2025, with almost 3 billion online shoppers, while parcel volumes are forecast to rise from 170 billion in 2022 to 256 billion in 2027. Faster delivery expectations and the fact that around 80 percent of online purchases move by air are putting significant pressure on cargo infrastructure.
• The industry needs to adapt its operations and infrastructure: IATA’s new E-commerce Voluntary Special Handling Code is intended to improve shipment visibility, safety, risk management and customs processes, but identifying e-commerce cargo alone will not be enough. Airlines, handlers and other supply-chain players will need more efficient processes, facilities, digital systems and collaboration to manage rising parcel volumes alongside increasingly specialised AI-related cargo.

Air cargo operators are being forced to adapt to two very different sources of growth: high-value technology shipments generated by the expansion of artificial intelligence, and the mass movement of individual parcels driven by e-commerce.

AI is creating demand for semiconductors and advanced electronics, products that are small, high-value and time-sensitive. Around two-thirds are transported by air, making the expansion of AI infrastructure a significant opportunity for airfreight.

“AI technologies and data centres are driving demand for semiconductors and advanced electronics. These products are small, high-value and time-sensitive. Around two-thirds are transported by air. This is creating a new opportunity for our industry,” Elizaveta Lesman, Manager Cargo Operations and Engagement at IATA said, speaking at the Frankfurt Air Cargo Community Conference,

Other specialised cargo flows present their own operational requirements, with 46 countries having adopted IATA’s Live Animals Regulations and the movement of perishables, where standards are designed to protect product quality between harvest and retail, on the rise

Pharmaceuticals are another major segment, representing more than US$1 trillion in products annually. Temperature control, specialised facilities and coordination between supply-chain participants are critical, particularly for personalised medicines such as cell and gene therapies.

The significance of these shipments goes beyond their monetary value. For cell and gene therapies, logistics can form part of the treatment process because the products are patient-specific and highly sensitive.

“Cell and gene therapies are highly sensitive, patient-specific and often critical. This means logistics is not just about transportation. It is also becoming part of the treatment. The future requires precision, visibility and a fully digital supply chain,” Lesman stated.

The larger operational pressure, however, is coming from e-commerce. Global e-commerce retail sales had increased from around US$3.3 trillion in 2019 to US$6.8 trillion in 2025, while the number of people shopping online has reached almost 3 billion.

The change is also visible in delivery expectations. A seven-day delivery window was common in 2019; consumers increasingly expect goods within one or two days. Around 80 percent of online purchases are transported by air cargo.

That demand is translating into parcel volumes that traditional cargo infrastructure was not designed to handle. Global parcel shipments are projected to rise from 170 billion in 2022 to 256 billion in 2027, an increase of about 50 percent.

“The volumes of parcels being shipped are growing. We had around 170 billion parcels in 2022, and the projection is 256 billion parcels in 2027. That represents about a 50 percent increase over five years. We need to get ready, and the question is whether our operations are ready,” Lesman continued.

IATA has introduced an E-commerce Voluntary Special Handling Code, endorsed by the Cargo Services Conference in March. The code gives industry participants a standardised way to identify e-commerce shipments, with the aim of improving operational visibility, optimisation, safety and risk management, as well as customs and regulatory processes.

But that identification alone will not address the structural challenge. The increase in parcel volumes requires changes to processes, facilities and collaboration across the supply chain.

For an industry traditionally structured around larger consolidated shipments, e-commerce is increasing the number of pieces that must be processed, tracked, cleared and delivered within much shorter timeframes. At the same time, AI-related cargo is pushing demand towards greater security, precision and specialised handling.

IATA is therefore linking e-commerce growth with a broader focus on operational excellence, covering process consistency, innovation, customer requirements and the ability of facilities and systems to handle future volumes.

“The code is a practical example of how the industry can respond to the rapid growth of e-commerce. But successful implementation goes beyond a code alone. It requires robust processes, collaboration across the supply chain and operational excellence. We need to make sure our organisations are ready for the changes ahead,” Lesman concluded.

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