Direct Asia-Europe cargo lanes are under sustained pressure. Airspace closures across parts of the Middle East have reduced flight activity on key routes by an estimated 30-50 percent, based on reporting from Air Cargo Week.
This isn’t a temporary blip. Airlines are adapting to a new normal where direct routing is no longer reliable. The solution: multi-hub routing strategies that build redundancy into the middle mile.
Why direct lanes are failing
Airspace restrictions have made traditional Asia-Europe corridors unviable for many carriers. The result is congested alternative corridors and longer, less efficient routings.
Flight activity on impacted lanes has dropped by 30-50 percent. That’s not a marginal adjustment. It’s a structural shift in how cargo moves between Asia and Europe.
Airlines are being forced to choose: use overcrowded alternative corridors or accept longer transit times through multi-leg routes. Neither option is ideal, but multi-hub routing is proving more reliable.
How multi-hub routing works
Instead of flying direct from Asia to Europe, cargo is now moving through multiple transshipment points. Istanbul’s Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) has emerged as a central hub for this strategy.
Three primary corridors are being used out of Kuala Lumpur. The first route goes directly via Istanbul. The second route runs via Tashkent through Istanbul. The third corridor moves via Jeddah to Istanbul before reaching European destinations.
This approach stabilises cargo movement by creating backup options. If one corridor faces, cargo can shift to another without cascading delays across the entire network.
Wide-body passenger capacity is also being pulled into service. Airlines are combining belly capacity with dedicated freighter networks to maintain higher-frequency European access. It’s a patchwork solution, but it’s working.
Coordination replaces capacity as the bottleneck
The main constraint is no longer raw capacity. It’s coordination. Multi-hub routing requires tight synchronisation between carriers, ground handlers and forwarders.
New collaborations are forming fast. Partnerships with MASkargo and The Hashgraph Group are among the recent tie-ups designed to maintain throughput amid uneven availability.
For freight forwarders, this means quoting complex multi-leg routes has become standard practice. The days of simple A to B pricing are gone. Now it’s A to B via C and possibly D, with different carriers on each leg.
Essential goods and food flows are being prioritised due to timing sensitivity. E-commerce volumes continue to provide a counterweight to geopolitical, keeping networks active even as traditional trade flows fluctuate.
What this means for forwarders
Forwarders need to adapt quickly. The old model of fixed lanes and predictable capacity is breaking down. Multi-hub routing requires new skills: route assembly, carrier comparison across multiple legs, and real-time availability tracking.
Smaller forwarders are particularly exposed. They lack the branch networks and carrier relationships that larger players use to manage. Without access to live rates and multi-carrier options, they’re quoting blind.
Speed to quote is now a competitive advantage. Customers won’t wait hours for a multi-leg routing proposal. They want options fast, and they want clarity on transit times and costs.
Industry outlook through Q1 2026
The pressures are expected to continue into Q1 2026. That means multi-hub routing strategies are here to stay, at least in the short term.
Networks are building flexibility into their core operations rather than treating alternative routing as a temporary fix. Istanbul’s role as a transshipment hub is likely to grow. Central Asian corridors via Tashkent are being normalised as viable alternatives.
Airspace restrictions could ease, but carriers aren’t betting on it. They’re investing in multi-hub infrastructure and partnerships that assume volatility is permanent.
CSN perspective: complexity is the new standard
Multi-hub routing isn’t going away. The shift from direct lanes to multi-leg corridors reflects a broader trend: global cargo networks are becoming more fragmented and harder to navigate.
For SME forwarders, this creates both risk and opportunity. The risk is falling behind competitors who can quote complex routes faster. The opportunity is using the right tools to turn complexity into a service differentiator.
The forwarders who thrive will be those who can assemble and price multi-carrier, multi-leg routes in minutes, not hours. They’ll have access to live capacity across multiple hubs and the ability to when disruptions hit.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Asia-Europe cargo routes being disrupted?
Airspace closures across parts of the Middle East have made direct Asia-Europe routes unreliable or unavailable. This has reduced flight activity on key lanes by 30-50 percent, forcing airlines to use alternative corridors or multi-hub routing strategies.
What is multi-hub routing?
Multi-hub routing moves cargo through multiple transshipment points instead of flying direct. For example, cargo from Kuala Lumpur to Europe now often routes via Istanbul, Tashkent or Jeddah before reaching final destinations. This builds redundancy into the network and reduces the risk of cascading delays.
How long will these disruptions last?
Industry expectations are that pressures will continue through Q1 2026 at minimum. Airlines are building multi-hub routing into their core operations rather than treating it as a temporary measure, which suggests this approach will remain standard even if airspace restrictions ease.
What does this mean for freight forwarders?
Forwarders need to quote multi-leg, multi-carrier routes as standard practice. Speed to quote is now a competitive advantage. Customers expect fast, clear proposals for complex routing, and forwarders who can’t deliver risk losing business to competitors with better tools and carrier access.
Which hubs are being used for Asia-Europe cargo now?
Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen Airport (SAW) has become a central transshipment hub. Other key points include Tashkent in Central Asia and Jeddah in the Middle East. These hubs allow airlines to route around airspace closures while maintaining European connectivity.
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