Amazon launches new air freight options for Chinese exports
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Amazon has expanded its China-to-US air freight operations with two new shipping services designed to give e-commerce sellers greater flexibility over inventory distribution, transit times and transportation costs, extending the company’s involvement in international freight as demand for trans-Pacific air cargo continues to grow.
Introduced through Amazon Global Logistics (AGL), the Air SMP and Economy Air services offer different approaches to transporting inventory from China to the US, with one prioritizing regional fulfillment center placement and the other providing a lower-cost alternative to standard air freight services.
The expansion reflects Amazon’s broader ambitions in international logistics, where the company is extending its transportation and fulfillment capabilities beyond its own retail operations. For sellers, the additional services create more opportunities to manage inventory shortages, seasonal demand and replenishment schedules. For freight forwarders and air cargo operators, the development adds another competitive dimension to a market increasingly shaped by integrated logistics providers.
Two new air freight services offer greater control over shipping costs and inventory
Amazon’s Air SMP service allows sellers to divide inventory at its point of origin in China before shipping directly to designated fulfillment centers across five US regions, reducing the need for additional redistribution after shipments arrive.
Operating through daily flights from Shanghai and Hong Kong, the service offers estimated transit times of seven to 10 calendar days from origin pickup, enabling businesses to determine inventory placement before departure rather than relying entirely on subsequent movements within Amazon’s domestic fulfillment network.
One of the principal commercial advantages concerns Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) inbound placement fees, which can increase the overall expense of distributing imported inventory across multiple fulfillment centers. According to Amazon, shipments using Air SMP are exempt from these fees, potentially reducing the total cost of positioning products closer to customers.
The company has removed additional surcharges for apparel, electronics and lithium battery products under the service, offering further potential savings for businesses transporting goods within these categories.
Such arrangements could be attractive to sellers importing products with concentrated seasonal demand or managing inventories that require replenishment across several geographical markets. By distributing stock at origin, businesses may reduce subsequent handling requirements and improve control over inventory availability, although the financial benefits will depend on shipment volumes, product characteristics and the rates offered.
Amazon’s second service, Economy Air, targets businesses seeking more affordable air freight transportation without accepting the substantially longer transit times generally associated with ocean shipping.
Operating from Shanghai and Shenzhen to Los Angeles, Economy Air offers estimated transit times of 11 to 15 days, compared with approximately seven days for Amazon’s existing standard air freight service from Shanghai or Hong Kong to the US.
Amazon states that Economy Air is priced below its standard AGL air service, although the company has not disclosed specific freight rates or the percentage savings customers can expect.
The distinction creates an additional transportation option for sellers whose inventory requirements fall between urgent air shipments and longer-term ocean freight replenishment. Businesses could use faster services to address immediate stock shortages while directing more predictable inventory movements through Economy Air, balancing replenishment schedules against transportation expenditure.
Rising trans-Pacific cargo demand strengthens the case for flexible air freight
Amazon’s expansion comes amid stronger demand across the Asia-North America air cargo corridor, where international e-commerce shipments and broader trade flows continue to influence transportation requirements.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), global air cargo demand increased by 4.4% year over year in August 2026, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers, while available capacity declined by 0.1% during the same period.
The Asia-North America corridor recorded considerably stronger growth, with cargo traffic increasing by 13.2% compared with August 2025. The route accounted for 23.5% of global air cargo traffic in 2025, reinforcing its commercial significance for airlines, freight forwarders and companies managing international supply chains.
Such growth provides a favorable backdrop for additional air freight offerings, particularly as retailers and manufacturers prepare inventory for the final quarter of the year, when seasonal purchasing patterns can place greater pressure on transportation networks.
Stronger shipment volumes do not necessarily translate into improved profitability for cargo airlines, particularly when operating costs rise faster than freight revenue. IATA reported that global jet fuel prices increased by 79.2% year over year in August, adding further pressure to airline operating costs despite an improvement in cargo yields.
For businesses importing products from China, these conditions make transportation planning an increasingly important component of inventory management. Although air freight provides faster delivery than ocean transportation, its higher cost generally makes it more suitable for time-sensitive goods, higher-value products and shipments where inventory shortages could result in substantial commercial losses.
Amazon’s latest services address different aspects of that calculation. Air SMP focuses on inventory positioning and the removal of specified fulfillment placement fees, while Economy Air provides a less expensive air transportation alternative in exchange for longer transit times.
The commercial value of either service will depend on factors extending beyond the advertised shipping period. Customs clearance, shipment preparation, inland transportation and fulfillment center processing can influence when imported products become available for sale, making it necessary for businesses to evaluate total landed costs and actual inventory availability rather than transportation rates alone.
This consideration becomes particularly relevant during peak shipping periods, when insufficient inventory can result in missed sales opportunities, while excessive reliance on expedited transportation can erode product margins.
Amazon’s growing logistics presence increases pressure on traditional freight providers
The introduction of Air SMP and Economy Air forms part of Amazon’s wider development of integrated supply chain services, combining international freight transportation, domestic distribution, warehousing and fulfillment within a broader commercial offering.
In May 2026, Amazon launched Amazon Supply Chain Services, extending access to selected elements of its logistics infrastructure to businesses operating both within and beyond its marketplace. The initiative reflects the company’s efforts to commercialize transportation and fulfillment capabilities developed through its retail network, allowing customers to coordinate logistics activities across multiple stages of the supply chain.
Amazon expanded these capabilities in June with a broader less-than-truckload freight offering, enabling businesses to transport palletized goods to third-party warehouses, distribution centers and retail partners rather than limiting deliveries to Amazon fulfillment facilities.
Within international transportation, Amazon Global Logistics already provides air and ocean freight connections between China and several major consumer markets, including the US, UK, European Union and Japan. The company has introduced additional inland transportation capabilities, including rail services intended to move imported inventory from the US West Coast toward eastern markets.
The development of these interconnected services creates potential advantages for businesses seeking to reduce the number of logistics providers involved in their operations. Combining international transportation with domestic distribution and fulfillment can simplify shipment coordination, particularly for smaller e-commerce businesses that lack the resources to manage multiple freight relationships independently.
For traditional freight forwarders, Amazon’s continued expansion raises questions about the competitive implications of a logistics provider capable of linking international freight bookings with its own fulfillment infrastructure.
Conventional forwarders retain considerable advantages in customized transportation planning, multimodal routing, specialized cargo handling and the management of supply chains extending beyond individual e-commerce platforms. Their ability to work with multiple carriers and logistics networks can offer flexibility that remains commercially important for manufacturers and retailers operating across different markets.
The competitive effects of Amazon’s expansion are therefore likely to vary between smaller marketplace sellers and larger businesses managing more complex international distribution requirements.
Amazon has not disclosed anticipated shipment volumes, booking demand or the capacity allocated to Air SMP and Economy Air, limiting the extent to which their immediate impact on competing providers or trans-Pacific air cargo capacity can be assessed.
The introduction of two differentiated air freight services illustrates how international transportation is increasingly being offered as part of a wider inventory management proposition, with shipping speed, fulfillment costs and distribution requirements considered together rather than as separate purchasing decisions.
For businesses sourcing products from China, this approach provides additional ways to balance transportation expenditure against stock availability and delivery requirements. For freight forwarders and other logistics providers, Amazon’s expanding services place greater emphasis on demonstrating the commercial value of integrated transportation, independent carrier selection and supply chain expertise as competition extends beyond the movement of goods alone.
Source:
Air Cargo News
