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Dachser boosts North American airfreight forwarding presence with stake in Synergie Canada

German logistics company Dachser has strengthened its air and sea freight forwarding presence in North America with a 10% minority share in Synergie Canada. Tobias Burger, chief operating officer air & sea logistics at Dachser, said the investment in Synergie Canada was key to growing the company's presence outside of Europe. "Canada is a highly attractive market for a global logistics provider like Dachser. As one of the seven leading industrialised nations, the Canadian economy is closely linked to the economies of the Americas, as well as our target markets in Europe," said Burger. "Expanding our presence in the Canadian market by acquiring a minority share of Synergie is essential for the continued growth of our business outside Europe. We're delighted to have found the ideal partner for this expansion in Synergie Canada." Founded in 2008 and based near Montreal, Quebec, Synergie Canada specialises in air and sea freight services on transatlantic and transpacific routes and serves customers in the engineering, technology, fashion and aerospace industries. Synergie Canada also offers truck transport within Canada and across the border to the US. In 2025, Synergie Canada generated revenue of approximately €60m and had a workforce of about 100 employees. "Synergie Canada has grown rapidly in the 15 years since it was founded, evolving from a traditional overland transport forwarder into one of Canada's leading logistics providers for international air and sea freight," said Marc-André Guindon, president of Synergie Canada. "Together with Dachser, we can now take the next step in our development and offer our customers even better access to international markets, particularly in Europe."

ACS revenues boom as cargo charter demand rises

Charter broker Air Charter Service (ACS) has seen its revenues significantly increase in the first half of the year, led by rising demand in its charter division. The company, which operates out of 43 offices worldwide, saw revenues increase by 38% year on year in the first half of the year to more than $845m. The improvements were led by ACS' cargo division, which saw charter numbers increase by 49% compared with last year and revenues grow 38% in part as a result of the conflict in the Middle East. ACS chairman and founder Chris Leach said: "In part, these increases were due to supply chain disruptions caused by the conflict in Iran, the repercussions of Storm Marta with the port closures that it caused in Morocco, as well as Venezuelan relief efforts, but events such as these individually make up a small proportion of what we do, indicating strong underlying growth." Leach added that regionally, the company saw particular growth in its offices across the US, Europe and Greater China. The results were also boosted by the opening of six new offices last year, while the company is hoping that the three offices that it has opened this year - in Brussels, Monaco, and Stuttgart - will also support performance. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation in the first half of 2026 were up between 35-40% year on year across its three divisions - cargo, group charter and private jets. "Every year we talk about how exceptional events inflate our numbers; however, we are finding that we are being called upon when there are spikes in demand with increasing regularity, from sporting events to natural disasters to political unrest," added Leach. "We are increasingly becoming the 'go-to' for large organisations and governments, as we are often one of the only companies able to deliver such complex projects. "We can't foresee what we will face in the next six months, but we are confident that we are in a strong position to tackle whatever happens in the second half." The strong start to the year, follows on from improved performance in the 2025/26 fiscal year.

Airfreight rates fall in July despite fuel price rises

Airfreight rates fell last month despite the restart of fighting in the Middle East pushing up jet fuel prices. The latest Baltic Air Freight Index (BAI00) calculated by TAC shows that average airfreight rates in July fell by 8.8% compared with June's levels. While prices were 16.8% up on last year's levels on 27 July - due to the Middle East conflict, higher fuel costs and the data centre boom - the rate of growth has narrowed from levels earlier in the year. The drop-off in rates also came despite jet fuel prices surging as a result of the escalation of fighting between the US and Iran. According to the IATA/Platts Jet Fuel Price Monitor, the average price of jet fuel in the last week of July was up 22.9% on June's levels and 76.4% ahead of last year. "Of course, jet fuel is not the only input into the running costs of an airline. There is also the very significant cost of acquiring or leasing the aircraft, as well as hiring the skilled personnel to run it, plus various other fixed costs," wrote TAC editor Neil Wilson in his monthly Baltic Exchange newsletter column. "But jet fuel is certainly a key input, typically accounting for one-third or more of a carrier's total expenses. "So why did air freight rates not rise in July as they had done so spectacularly in March after the US and Israel first launched air strikes against Iran? "Sources pointed to a number of factors, including the fact that we were now entering the summer or 'low season' when there is usually a lull in air cargo rates. "That often occurs when the summer holidays start, with more passenger traffic, which may increase demand for jet fuel. But it also adds extra bellyhold capacity, particularly on certain lanes, such as transatlantic routes." He added that carriers were also better prepared for fuel shocks this time round and had increased their use of hedging and had secured jet fuel supply further forward. Wilson added that the European Union's addition of a €3 customs duty on low-value parcels imported from outside the bloc had affected e-commerce demand into the EU. The development is reflected in a drop-off in prices on services from Hong Kong to Europe, where average rates - a combination of both spot and contract - declined to $4.76 per kg from $5.45 per kg in June. Compared with last year, rates on the trade were up 8.4% year on year, which is down on the 25% year-on-year improvement registered in June. By the end of the month, average rates on the trade lane were only 1.6% ahead of last year. The fall in rates to Europe came despite reductions in capacity on Asia-Europe lanes, sources suggested, with some freighters withdrawn for maintenance and others redeployed to other lanes, according to Wilson. Meanwhile, rates on services from Hong Kong to North America fell to $6.69 per kg in July from $7.71 per kg in June. Compared with last year, rates on the trade lane are up by 36.2% compared with a year ago.