Anticipate Extended Commercial Cargo Transit Times

With a recently-announced travel ban from the EU to the US due to coronavirus, it’s obvious that extra precautions are being taken to reduce the infection rate of the pandemic. Commercial flights are being affected in various ways. One company that is being forthright about how the virus is affecting their business is FedEx.

What Trends Did FedEx Find?

The cargo shipping company released a few alerts specifying that freight shipments to China are being negatively affected. Express international priority and economy freight that are headed to the country are taking between one and three business days longer than usual.

The official statement from FedEx remains on their website that they will continue to fly to affected areas within the parameters of government regulations. But delays should be expected.

FedEx Express freight pilots in Europe are seeing complete flight suspensions. These temporary holds include all levels of international economy shipments going to China.

Fortunately, at least the commercial cargo pilots completing these flights are still getting paid.

According to FedEx, China is prioritizing Coronavirus containment and management efforts above all else. For example, the shipping company disclosed that there are at least 17 cities in China where only relief aid is being allowed through.

Coronavirus Analysts Report

Based on research conducted by Moody’s Analytics, the Coronavirus is likely going to have a much bigger impact on the global economy than the SARS virus did in 2003. Although the main reason behind this assessment is the fact that China plays a much bigger role in the economy now, this observation is not the only reason validating the verdict.

Since the Coronavirus is able to infect large portions of the population at an alarming rate, while staying undetected, there are likely going to be more cargo transit times impacted in the future. For example, FedEx has stated that Express freight going to Vietnam is already experiencing delays as well.

What This Means For Pilots

The situation is constantly evolving, even as we write this article. If you are a commercial cargo pilot, please keep up to date with your carrier. Even though you don’t have passengers on board, your work will still be affected!