Kühne + Nagel retains top spot in global air freight ranking

Kühne + Nagel remains the world’s number one air freight forwarder by tonnage in 2025. This is one of the findings of a market survey conducted by the consultancy Armstrong & Associates. The Swiss company transported around 2.03million tonnes last year, increasing its volume by 7 per cent compared with the previous year.

DSV follows closely in second place with 2.01million tonnes (up 44 per cent). The strong growth compared with 2024 is attributable to the acquisition of DB Schenker; however, its tonnage could only be fully included in DSV’s figures from the third quarter of 2025 onwards, as the deal was not finalised until 30 April 2025. DHL Global Forwarding slips to third place with 1.77million tonnes (down 1 per cent).

Taiwanese market players show strikingly strong growth

The strongest organic growth rates were achieved by two Taiwanese freight forwarders: Dimerco grew by 16.6 per cent to 271,513 tonnes, and Morrison Express by 14.9 per cent to 361,600 tonnes; both are likely to have benefited from demand for semiconductors and computer chips. Among US providers, Expeditors grew by 6 per cent and Crane Worldwide Logistics by 1.7 per cent, whilst C.H. Robinson fell by 10.2 per cent.

Overall, the air freight volume of the 25 largest freight forwarders rose by just 0.1 per cent to 16.57million tonnes in 2025.