Logistics market update: March 2026

2026-03-05 14:00 Market update

Urgent information

The impact of the escalating Middle East conflict has now gone beyond the regional issue. Several flights have been cancelled or delayed, including a complete suspension of air travel to and from the Persian Gulf countries. The Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed to shipping, and maritime traffic with several transit countries potentially affected by military risks.

The tariff and delivery time forecasts provided in this update will be adjusted as market participants gain a better understanding of the situation. Specifically, we anticipate that shipping costs from China will increase for container and road freight, whilst border delays are mounting due to the redirection of European traffic to direct rail and road.

Container turnover due to longer delivery times will likely lead to an increase in container usage rates.

WELLGO specialists are closely monitoring the situation. We actively coordinate with other freight forwarding and 3PL / 4PL partners. The clear intention, is maintaining supply chain stability and obtaining reliable information about goods in transit and carrier plans.

A few words about the development of the aviation industry in Kazakhstan and its long-term impact on air travel. In February, Air Astana has approved the purchase of 50 Airbus aircraft. Five narrow-body Airbus A320N and 20 Airbus A321NX aircraft will be added to the Kazakh carrier's fleet between 2031 and 2034 as part of a firm order.

This decision highlights a global trend in aviation. Carriers are increasing their focus on regional and medium-haul routes, Modernisation, increasing frequencies and destinations does not translate into increased cargo capacity.

Unfortunately, narrow-body aircraft provide significantly less carrying capacity ( belly capacity ) compared to wide-body long-haul aircraft. This structurally reduces available cargo capacity on long haul routes, increases pressure on rates, and makes the long-haul international air travel market more sensitive to seasonal fluctuations. Therefore, flexibility and timeliness in planning are becoming even more important for supply chain stability.

Development of new directions

WELLGO expects Kazakhstan to continue developing international air travel in 2026. Plans call for the opening and resumption of several new destinations spanning Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.

Kazakhstani airlines have already published flights on the following routes:

Air Astana

Almaty - Shanghai (China) - from March 29;
Astana - Guangzhou (China) - from June 2;
Almaty and Astana - Larnaca (Cyprus) - from June 2 to September 5 (seasonal);
Almaty and Astana - Salalah (Oman) - from March 9;

SCAT

Shymkent – Saint Petersburg (Russia) – from June 1;
Shymkent – Tel Aviv (Israel) – from June 9.

Flights will be operated primarily on narrow-body aircraft. The new routes allow for more precise route selection and greater schedule reliability, even during peak seasonal demand.

WELLGO offers transit times from 2 days from China, South Korea, India, Turkey, UAE, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands.

European destination in March

On the European route, a local increase in demand for air travel happens first week of March following the end of the holidays in China. Wait times for available capacity from some airports could reach up to one week. Expect an increase in airfares and a possible capacity shortage due to flight cancellations by Middle Eastern carriers and the redistribution of cargo flows to transit through Turkey.

Lufthansa's flight programme will resume on March 29:

Frankfurt am Main – Almaty – 5 times a week;
Frankfurt am Main – Astana – 4 times a week.

The flights will be operated on wide-body Airbus A340-300 aircraft, capable of accommodating pallet loads up to 120x80x167cm.

Lufthansa's resumption of flights to Kazakhstan opens up access to the airline's global route network and expands its air travel options from Europe and North America.

During the summer schedule, the airline also offers promotional rates on air travel. Check with WELLGO specialists for current destinations.

Asian direction

The China route is unstable after the Chinese New Year: cargo has accumulated in warehouses and high demand is impacting flight capacity. Wait times for capacity in early March can reach 1.5 weeks, with rates only valid for a few days.

Since mid-March, the situation in this direction has stabilized.

Asiana Airlines announced it will resume Seoul-Almaty flights starting March 29. Flights will operate three times a week until May 3, and five times a week from May 4 to October 24.

This brings the number of direct wide-body flights from Korea to Almaty to 3, with connecting flights available on 4 airlines.

Air's direct daily passenger flights - WELLGO offers cargo flights to Astana on this route, with flights operated 6 times a week.

On February 11, 2026, we saw the first stage of mandatory use of navigation seals for cargo transportation by rail and road between the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union.

Navigation seals have begun to be used to track shipments:

Dual-use goods
Clothing, footwear, equipment
Alcohol and tobacco
Nicotine-containing products
Nicotine raw materials

In future, expect an expansion of cargo categories for which the use of navigation seals will be mandatory.

This move should create greater transparency in logistics flows and reduce the level of shadow operations. It will facilitate the work of carriers by reducing border / customs controls whilst more accurately confirming the route and integrity of cargo. It creates a unified information space for tracking throughout the EAEU, hopefully improving efficiency of cross-border road transport. A further example of the rapid development of logistics digitalization and optimization for the transport community.

Road transport from Europe

The road transport market on the European route remains stable. EU border crossing times on the Northern Route have stabilized and do not exceed two days. The wait for transhipment at the TLC also does not exceed two days.

In early March, there was high demand for refrigerated semi-trailers. Delivery times within Europe and at borders took longer. WELLGO cold chain specialists can advise further.

Northern route (via Russia):
The average time to cross the border is 1-2 days.
Southern route (via the Caspian Sea):
Waiting time for the Alyat- Kuryk ferry is 2-2.5 weeks (bad weather on the Caspian Sea).

Road transport from China

Demand remains high after the New Year holidays, and shipping costs remain stable. Prices are expected to drop slightly in mid-March, notwithstanding the Middle East crisis.

In February, weather had a significant impact on transit times. Roads were closed due to weather conditions, particularly the Usharal- Dostyk section , which leads to the busiest border crossing between China and Kazakhstan. In early March, the elements are still a factor in determining final transit times.

Current status of queues at major border crossings:

Dostyk – Alashankou – queue reservation 10 days in advance;
Altynkol – Khorgos – queue reservations at least 3-4 weeks in advance, paid reservations 2 days in advance;
Bakhty - Tachen - no queues;
Maykapchigai – Zimunai – no queues.