Pandemics, geopolitical conflicts, earthquakes, droughts. It’s fair to say the world hasn’t been short of black swan events in recent years.

The ongoing situation in the Red Sea/Gulf of Aden is, of course, the latest case in point. Approximately 12% of global trade (USD958 billion) passes through the Red Sea every year, but already, USD200 billion worth of cargo has been diverted away from the area, with some market analysts predicting that it could go on for another six to 12 months.

What’s more, it doesn’t just feel like these events are happening more regularly, they actually are. According to Resilinc, there was a total of 16,103 supply chain disruptions across all industries in 2023, a 5% year-on-year increase. The long and short of it is that black swan events are happening more often, and the consequences are becoming more severe.

The good news, however, is that there are solutions. In this blog, we look at one of those – air freight. Here’s how it can help you tackle black swan events and build supply chain resilience.

Adding flexibility to your supply chain illustration

Adding flexibility to your supply chain

One of the fundamental problems with black swan events is that you never know when they’re going to strike. Unpredictability is part of their nature. That means you need to be prepared for unforeseen circumstances, all year round. Airfreight gives you this flexibility.

Take the Red Sea situation as an example. Shippers are currently avoiding the Suez Canal and rerouting shipments around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope and then up the west side of the continent into Europe. That adds at least 10 days to the journey.

Whereas, with airfreight, you’ve a lot more choice. You can fly to Paris or Krakow or Berlin, for example. With more options, and more direct routes, you can quickly pivot and get your stock to where it needs to be.

Front shot of Maersk cargo plane

Finding the capacity to get going

Another thing to consider is that when a black swan event happens, you won’t be the only business affected. The competition for logistics solutions increases, making it harder to secure transport, especially if you’re shipping from a remote location.

During the pandemic, for instance, there were thousands of backlogs as demand intensified and freight rates skyrocketed. At the peak of which, in September 2021, a 40ft shipping container cost roughly USD10,400 – nearly four times as much as in January 2024 (USD2,600).

The point here is that, in the face of disruption, capacity becomes a huge challenge. But less so with air freight – according to Accenture, global air cargo capacity is currently up 6% against the same period in 2019. Compared to other modes of transport, there’s often more capacity available to secure a booking, giving you the reliability you need to beat disruption.

Male. female and a container illustration

Getting the speed to get back on schedule

Finally, when a black swan event happens and your transport is delayed or cancelled, it’s pretty obvious that you’re going to have to play catch up.

Here’s where airfreight can make the difference. As the fastest mode of transport, it gives you the speed to make up for lost time.

Let’s put this into context. Transit times for an ocean freight shipment between China and Europe typically take between 30 and 45 days, whereas airfreight typically takes less than five days.

 

That’s more than a month’s difference. So, if you’re about to launch a new product and a supply chain disruption occurs, air freight offers you the speed to make sure the launch happens as planned.

Crisis? What crisis?

Whatever your industry, black swan events are a mammoth logistics challenge. Not only are they unpredictable, but they’re happening more frequently, creating more threats to your supply chain, extending delivery timelines, increasing costs, and derailing entire business strategies.

When they strike, it’s essential that you have a crisis management plan at your disposal. One that puts you back in control of the situation. By integrating airfreight into your supply chain setup, you can gain the flexibility, reliability and speed you need to avert any crisis.

Maersk solutions illustration

To talk to us about how Maersk Air Freight can help your business:

整合示圖

取得產業內部人士的見解

進入我們真正整合物流的世界。按幾下滑鼠,即可取得有關見解的說明和知識。

您是否想隨時獲取未來產業趨勢的必修課?

透過在此表單註冊,您可直接在您的郵箱中接收我們的見解,踏入真正整合物流的世界。只要按幾下,您就可從我們為您量身訂製的文章中獲取靈感,並獲得相關業務見解。您可以隨時取消訂閱。

您完成了,歡迎訂閱!

您已成功訂閱我們的《物流觀點》(Logistics Insights)。我們會儘快向您發送確認電子郵件,並期待您隨時了解未來產業趨勢。

出現錯誤

抱歉!發生錯誤,我們無法取得您的資訊。請重試並重新提交您的資訊。若問題仍然存在, 請聯絡我們。

您是否想隨時獲取未來產業趨勢的必修課?

透過在此表單註冊,您可直接在您的郵箱中接收我們的見解,踏入真正整合物流的世界。只要按幾下,您就可從我們為您量身訂製的文章中獲取靈感,並獲得相關業務見解。您可以隨時取消訂閱。

請勾選上方的方塊,然後按「提交」。

填寫此表單即表示您同意並允許馬士基依據其隱私權通知所述使用您的個人資料。

隨時掌握最新資訊
註冊接收訊息和見解
透過直接收到馬士基電子報的寶貴供應鏈趨勢見解,保有領先地位

提交此表單表示本人同意經由電子郵件接收來自 A. P. 穆勒-馬士基及其附屬公司的物流最新消息和行銷新訊。我瞭解我可以透過點擊取消訂閱連結,隨時選擇退出接收此類馬士基通知。如需瞭解我們如何處理您的個人資料,請參閱我們的隱私權政策

感謝您註冊
您現在已註冊訂閱電子報。您很快就會收到一封電子郵件,說明如何設定您的電子報偏好。
已訂閱
您可以隨時取消訂閱。