FIATA launches 2026 Market Report for freight forwarding sector

FIATA International Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations has launched its 2026 Market Report, the organization's annual assessment of conditions across the freight forwarding and logistics industry.

The report, announced through industry channel Air Cargo Week, continues FIATA's practice of publishing year-ahead market analysis for its global membership of national freight forwarding associations. FIATA represents the forwarding sector in more than 150 countries through its member associations.

What is the 2026 Market Report?

The publication serves as a benchmarking and outlook document for the year ahead. It consolidates FIATA's view of freight market conditions — spanning modal segments that include air cargo, sea, road and rail — for forwarding practitioners and their trading partners.

For the air cargo community specifically, the launch signals the availability of updated forwarder-facing analysis at a moment when capacity planning and rate volatility remain central concerns for shippers and logistics providers heading into 2026.

Who should track it?

The report is aimed at:

• Freight forwarders benchmarking their outlook against industry-wide assessments
• Airlines and cargo GSA networks gauging forwarder-side expectations
• Shippers and BCOs planning 2026 procurement cycles
• Policymakers and trade bodies monitoring logistics sector sentiment

FIATA's market reporting function sits alongside its advocacy and training roles, which include the FIATA Diploma and its standard trading conditions used across the forwarding industry.

Why the launch matters now

Annual outlook publications from sector bodies such as FIATA carry weight because they aggregate the perspective of forwarding associations worldwide rather than a single carrier, lessor or shipper constituency. Forwarders control the routing decisions behind a substantial share of global air freight tonnage, which makes their consolidated read on demand, capacity and regulatory friction a data point OEMs, airlines and airports watch each cycle.

Details of the 2026 edition's specific findings — including any demand forecasts, capacity projections or policy positions — are contained in the full report, which FIATA has now made available to the industry.

The publication's launch sets the analytical baseline the forwarding sector will reference as 2026 contracting and capacity negotiations begin.