FIATA
International Federation of
Freight Forwarders Associations
The global voice of freight logistics

Trade Shifts, Legal Innovations, and a Regional Milestone in Zanzibar

FIATA e-flash
5 May 2025

Trade Facilitation and Regulatory Updates: The U.S. Ended the De Minimis Exemption for Goods from China and Hong Kong on 2 May

Effective 12:01 a.m. EDT on 2 May 2025, the United States (U.S.) no longer applies the de minimis exemption—which allows low-value imports to enter the U.S. duty-free—to products originating from China and Hong Kong. This change was announced by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and follows Executive Order 14256, signed on 2 April 2025, which amends prior measures under Executive Order 14195. Until now, the de minimis exemption has allowed goods valued under USD 800 to enter the U.S. without duties or certain taxes.

The exemption no longer applies to goods of Chinese and Hong Kong-origin that fall within the scope Section 2(a) of Executive Order 14195, as amended as these will be rejected by the US CBP for de minimis clearance. Trade filers are advised to take note of these changes and ensure that they do not submit manifests or entries for such shipments arriving on or after the effective date.

This policy change is expected to have a notable impact on e-commerce platforms that have been relying on the exemption to offer low-cost, expedited shipping. Businesses may face increased operational costs and will need to adapt to new regulatory requirements. FIATA will continue to monitor developments and assess their implications for freight forwarders and the broader logistics community.

FIATA Events: 2025 FIATA-RAME Field Meeting

Standing, from left to right: Juanita Maree, FIATA RAME Chair; Dawit Woubishet, Air Freight Institute Chair; Yue Wang, Events and Administrative Officer; Stéphane Graber, FIATA Director General; Thomas Sim, FIATA Senior Vice President; and Kaoutar Guessous, FIATA RAME Vice Chair.
Seated, from left to right: Omar Mussa, ZfB President; Hon. Dr. Khalid Salum Mohamed, Minister for Infrastructure, Communications and Transport of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar; Hon. Prof. Makame Mbarawa, Minister of Works & Transport, United Republic of Tanzania; Hon. Hemed Suleiman Abdulla, the Second Vice President of Zanzibar; Turgut Erkeskin, FIATA President; Edward John Urio, TAFFA President; and Hon. Hamida Mussa Khamis, District Commissioner of the Urban District, Zanzibar.

The 2025 FIATA-Region Africa and the Middle East (RAME) Field Meeting took place from 30 April to 1 May in Zanzibar, Tanzania, gathering close to 600 participants from 28 territories, including freight forwarders, government representatives, development partners, and logistics experts from across the region. The main objective of the field meeting was to strengthen cooperation among stakeholders and amplify the collective voice of logistics professionals across the region, with the aim of fostering effective logistics practices that contribute to the growth of the blue economy. 

Co-hosted by FIATA, the Tanzania Freight Forwarders Association (TAFFA) and the Zanzibar Freight Bureau (ZfB), the event placed a spotlight on the role of coastal and maritime resources in advancing resilient, sustainable, and integrated logistics systems. Under the theme "Collaborating in the Blue Economy: Transforming Logistics for Sustainability," discussions over the two days focused on logistics innovation, digitalisation, trade facilitation, financing, and corridor development.

In his opening remarks, FIATA President, Turgut Erkeskin, underlined the transformative promise of the blue economy for the freight forwarding industry: “The focus on sustainable ocean resources, maritime trade, fisheries, and port development reflects a deep understanding of the ocean’s role in economic transformation. At FIATA, we believe logistics must support not compromise our natural ecosystems, and we stand ready to contribute to this vision through smart, green, and inclusive supply chain practices".

The event received significant support from the United Republic of Tanzania and the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar. Although the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, was unexpectedly unable to attend in person, she remained engaged remotely and expressed strong support for the event. After the FIATA-RAME Field Meeting, the President of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi, met with the FIATA President and FIATA Director General, expressing a strong interest in collaborating with FIATA leadership in the future. FIATA took this opportunity to thank him for the great support from the Zanzibar authorities for the event.

During the FIATA-RAME Field Meeting, FIATA was honoured by the presence of the Minister for Transport of the United Republic of Tanzania, Hon. Prof. Makame Mbarawa; the Second Vice President of Zanzibar, Hon. Hemed Suleiman Abdulla; the Minister of Infrastructure, Communication and Transport of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, Dr Khalid Salum Mohamed; Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Republic of Tanzania to the United Nations Office and other International Organisations in Geneva, H.E. Ambassador Hoyce Anderson Temu; and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United Republic of Tanzania to the Federal Republic of Germany, H.E. Ambassador Hassani Iddi Mwamweta, underscoring the governments' support and commitment to advancing sustainable logistics and infrastructure development.

FIATA extends its sincere thanks to the Tanzanian and Zanzibar authorities for their support, to the Tanzanian diplomatic representation in Germany and Switzerland, and to the international organisations, as well as TAFFA, ZfB, and their respective Presidents Edward John Urio and Omar Hussein Mussa, and all those who contributed to the success of this important regional gathering, reinforcing the region’s role as a catalyst for sustainable logistics worldwide.

Stay tuned for a special feature of the FIATA-RAME Field Meeting in the next e-Flash!

From left to right: Edward John Urio, TAFFA President; Thomas Sim, FIATA Senior Vice President; Hon. Dr. Khalid Salum Mohamed, Minister for Infrastructure, Communications and Transport of the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar; Hon. Prof. Makame Mbarawa, Minister of Works & Transport, United Republic of Tanzania; Stéphane Graber, FIATA Director General; and Turgut Erkeskin, FIATA President.

International Trade and Law: Find Out How the Draft Convention on Negotiable Cargo Documents Can Unlock Value for Your Business

Shaping the Future: The Impact of Negotiable Cargo Documents on Trade Finance, Regional Connectivity and Digital Evolution

Organised by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) secretariat in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC), the United Nations Centre for Trade Facilitation and Electronic Business (UN/CEFACT), and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), this conference will bring together leading experts from around the world and various sectors, including industry representatives to discuss key features of the new draft UNCITRAL convention on negotiable cargo documents in paper and digital form (“NCD Convention”).

The discussions, which are particularly relevant for freight forwarders, will be spread across four thematic panels concerning transport and logistics, finance and digitalisation. FIATA will be participating as a speaker in the conference in a special panel “Enhancing Regional Connectivity: The Role of Transport Corridors and Negotiable Cargo Documents in Boosting Trade”. FIATA’s participation will draw on its longstanding active involvement in the development of the NCD Convention since the beginning, through which it has brought its unique insights from the freight forwarding perspective and from the FIATA Multimodal Transport Bill of Lading (FBL), to date the only internationally recognised multimodal transport document standard.

📅 Date: Tuesday, 27 May 2025
🕙 Time: 10:00 – 17:30 (Vienna time, CEST/UTC+2)
📍 Venue: Vienna International Centre, Vienna and Online


The programme and speaker details are available on the conference event page.

Please register by Monday, 19 May 2025 via the following registration link.

We encourage FIATA Members to take part in this timely conversation on the future of trade to understand how the new draft NCD Convention can support their businesses and unlock value for supply chains around the world.

Market Trends: Global Air Cargo Demand Rises 4.4% in March 2025

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported a 4.4% year-on-year increase in global air cargo demand for March 2025, marking a record peak for the month. International operations saw a 5.5% rise, while overall capacity grew by 4.3% compared to March 2024. This increase was partly attributed to businesses expediting shipments ahead of anticipated U.S. tariffs announced on 2 April 2025. 

Regional Performance highlights:

  • Asia-Pacific carriers reported a 9.6% increase in demand and an 11.3% rise in capacity.
  • North American airlines experienced a 9.5% growth in demand and a 6.1% capacity increase.
  • European carriers saw a 4.5% uptick in demand with a 2.0% capacity boost.
  • Latin American airlines reported a 5.8% demand growth and a 4.7% capacity rise.
  • Middle Eastern carriers faced a 3.2% decline in demand, despite a 0.8% capacity increase.
  • African airlines experienced a significant 13.4% drop in demand, with capacity up by 10.5%.

Trade lanes such as Europe-North America and Asia-North America showed robust growth, potentially due to pre-emptive shipping ahead of tariff implementations. Conversely, routes like Europe-Middle East and Africa-Asia experienced declines.

For more detailed information, refer to the full IATA press release here. 

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