Global air cargo demand grew by 4.1% year-on-year in October 2025, up from 2.9% in September, IATA reported. The association notes that the slowdown in cargo turnover observed in recent months is ending, as the peak season traditionally occurs in the fourth quarter. The international segment increased by 4.8% and now accounts for 87.3% of global cargo turnover.
Intermodal operator Helrom announced the launch of a new route linking Arad, Romania, with Düsseldorf, Germany, in 2026. The new service will connect Romania’s largest logistics hub on the Hungarian border with the industrial center of the Ruhr, where the company’s main hub is located.
Intermodal transport in Italy is undergoing a major transformation: the country aims to shift 30% of freight over 300 km from road to rail by 2030. However, rail currently accounts for only 12%, compared to an EU average of 17%. The situation is further complicated by unprecedented infrastructure work on the RFI network, which will last until 2026–2027 and is already leading to reduced capacity, route diversions, and increased delivery times. This modernization is aimed at meeting TEN-T standards and should ensure increased efficiency and sustainability in future transport.
The Modalis Group and the Port of Dunkirk are jointly developing a new €25 million intermodal terminal project, which will provide an additional option for long-haul freight transport across Europe. The 9.6-hectare complex is located along the Loon-Plage line, adjacent to the Ro-Ro terminals serving the UK and Ireland, integrating rail transport with existing maritime routes across the English Channel.
METRANS, a subsidiary of HHLA, and INTERPORT Servis are launching a joint project to modernize the TIP Košice intermodal terminal near Košice, which is expected to become a key logistics hub on the EU’s eastern border. The new hub will combine METRANS’s experience in European rail transport with INTERPORT’s regional expertise, creating a modern infrastructure for international freight flows and strengthening Slovakia’s importance as a transit hub between the EU and Ukraine.
Aviator Airport Alliance, the largest independent ground handling provider in Northern Europe and part of the Avia Solutions Group, signed its first contract with Tunisian airline Nouvelair for ground handling services at Helsinki Airport. The agreement came into effect on October 27 and covers a full range of operations, from passenger handling and ramp services to de-icing. Nouvelair operates weekly charter flights between Helsinki and Monastir.
A Kazakh delegation participated in the Trans-Caspian Transport Corridor and Connectivity Investor Forum, which brought together EU Commissioners, representatives of leading European financial institutions, and transport ministers from countries along the Middle Corridor. A separate meeting of heads of transport agencies from Central Asia, the EU, the South Caucasus, and the Black Sea region was also held on the sidelines of the event.
A meeting between the leadership delegations of Azerbaijan Railways (part of AZCON Holding) and Kazakhstan Railways was held in Baku to strengthen railway cooperation between the countries. The parties discussed the dynamics of cooperation in recent years and the role of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan as key participants in the East-West Transport Corridor, ensuring the safe and efficient organization of international freight transport, as well as expanding the partnership between the Port of Baku and the ports of Kazakhstan.
The first phase of the container hub at the Port of Aktau, being built jointly with the Chinese company Port Lianyungang, will be completed by the end of 2025, Kazakhstan’s Minister of Transport Nurlan Sauranbayev announced at a government meeting. The project envisages increasing the hub’s capacity to 200,000 TEUs per year, while dredging and berth modernization are simultaneously underway at the port.
A meeting between the management of KTZ Express and KTZ and an Austrian delegation led by Mr. Haubner, Second President of the National Council of the Austrian Parliament, was held at the headquarters of JSC NC KTZ in Astana. The parties discussed expanding cooperation between the two countries’ railway operators, prospects for developing the Trans-Caspian International Transport Route (TITR), and the participation of Austrian companies in regional infrastructure projects.
