Air‑cargo networks rebalance
Freighter capacity growth is shifting away from the Middle East toward alternative hubs like Istanbul as conflict reshapes route economics. (stattimes.com) Separately, Avianca Cargo is expanding Quito–Miami service using Amazon Air capacity, adding perishable and specialty lift into Miami that could change sourcing options for Andean produce and flowers. (stattimes.com)
Air-cargo growth is being rerouted around the Middle East, with Istanbul gaining freighter traffic as conflict changes flight paths, fuel burn and risk costs. (stattimes.com) Rotate’s March 2026 analysis, cited by Stat Times, said freighter capacity is moving from the Middle East toward alternative hubs, and Istanbul was advancing fastest. Air Cargo News separately reported that cargo capacity out of Istanbul and Muscat increased while airports across the Middle East saw the largest shifts. (stattimes.com) (aircargonews.net) The immediate pressure is operational: carriers have faced flight suspensions, longer routings and higher jet-fuel costs as the Gulf conflict disrupted normal hub economics. Stat Times reported last week that the disruption cut capacity and lifted rates, while Flexport said rerouting by European and Asian airlines is making flights longer and more expensive to operate. (stattimes.com) (flexport.com) At the same time, Avianca Cargo has added five weekly Quito-to-Miami flights using Amazon Air Cargo capacity, effective March 2026. Quiport, the operator of Quito’s airport, said the service is aimed at flowers, fruit and other perishables moving from Ecuador to the United States. (quiport.com) That adds lift into one of the world’s biggest flower gateways. United States Customs and Border Protection officials told local media that Miami International Airport handles about 90% of fresh-cut flowers sold for Valentine’s Day in the United States, and around 990 million stems pass through the airport in the weeks before February 14. (vcpnewz.com) Quito is already a heavyweight export airport for that trade. Transport Journal reported that Quito exported 336,480 tons of air freight in 2025, up 11.2% from 2024, and ranked fifth in Latin America and the Caribbean by annual cargo volume. (transportjournal.com) The Amazon-Avianca arrangement also extends a relationship that predates this month’s announcement. Quiport said Avianca Cargo and Amazon Air Cargo have worked together since 2025 through charter flights and capacity agreements, and Ecuador is now the second market where Avianca is operating with Amazon-provided capacity. (quiport.com) The combined picture is a cargo map being redrawn at two levels at once: intercontinental freighters are leaning harder on substitute hubs such as Istanbul, while regional perishables networks are adding dedicated lift into Miami from the Andes. (stattimes.com) (quiport.com) If the conflict keeps distorting costs and schedules, the near-term winners are likely to be airports that can absorb diverted freighters and lanes that can guarantee time-sensitive cargo space. Istanbul and Quito are now testing that proposition on very different parts of the air-cargo network. (aircargonews.net) (cargofacts.com)
