Global manufacturing is facing a palpable shift as talks about reshoring, bringing production back to the United States, appear to be gathering steam. While a full-scale return isn’t on the horizon just yet, this potential movement could affect various sectors, including the one responsible for the expedited shipping of those homemade products, air cargo.
Reshoring resurgence: A work in progress
Besides being one of the loftier goals of the new administration’s tariff strategy, a few factors fuel the renewed focus on reshoring in the United States. Rising labour costs in traditional manufacturing hubs, supply chain disruptions, and geopolitical tensions have led companies to reassess their global strategy. The Covid-19 pandemic, in particular, exposed vulnerabilities in extended supply chains, leading businesses to prioritise resilience and proximity to end markets.
According to the Reshoring Initiative, the number of US jobs announced from reshoring and foreign direct investment topped 350,000 in 2023. US government incentives, such as the Biden administrations’ CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, have already begun reinforcing this trend, especially in high-tech and green energy sectors.
Still, the process is far from simple. As noted by The Wall Street Journal, companies like Otis Elevator have discovered that rebuilding domestic supply chains and scaling production economically is a slow, difficult undertaking.
Potential regional growth for airfreight
If the reshoring trend continues to advance, domestic logistics providers will be pressured to adapt. The air cargo sector, prized for its speed and agility, stands to play a major role. As manufacturers explore new sites in the Midwest, Southeast, and Southwest, airfreight offers an efficient way to shuttle components and finished goods across scattered regions.
The shift toward just-in-case inventory management, driven by the many lessons of Covid-19-era delays, has also increased the value of time-sensitive transport. With shorter production runs and more dynamic retail cycles, manufacturers are relying on airfreight to stay responsive. According to the WSJ, some small manufacturers are already benefiting from new trade barriers that favor local suppliers, and they’re increasingly turning to air cargo to maintain speed to market.
Infrastructure and investment: Preparing for change
To support this emerging trend, shipping firms and infrastructure investors are making big bets. CMA CGM, the French shipping giant, recently pledged US$20 billion to expand its US presence, including air cargo operations. The company has committed to building a new airfreight hub in Chicago, highlighting the growing demand for domestic air logistics solutions.
At the same time, the US International Development Finance Corporation is exploring major investments to boost reshoring efforts in strategic sectors like pharmaceuticals and semiconductors. Al Jazeera reports that these funding efforts could funnel billions into infrastructure that supports local manufacturing and the networks that enable it, including air cargo corridors.
Implications for regional airports
While major cargo hubs like Memphis and Louisville dominate headlines, it’s regional airports that could see the most meaningful impact from reshoring. As new manufacturing clusters emerge in cities like Huntsville, Chattanooga, and Toledo, local airports are becoming unexpected players in the national supply chain.
These smaller facilities are increasingly attractive to manufacturers due to their proximity, lower congestion, and faster turnaround. But they’ll need investment. Many lack the specialised ground-handling infrastructure or customs capacity needed for sustained freight operations. For air cargo carriers and airport authorities, now may be the time to revisit expansion plans, and form public-private partnerships to fund them.
Moreover, demand for more intra-US air routes could increase pressure on regional carriers and integrators like FedEx and UPS to scale their domestic networks. Flexible capacity and digital visibility will be key to adapting to increasingly complex domestic trade patterns.
Up for the challenge
Of course, none of this is guaranteed. Duplicating the scale and cost-efficiency of massive Asian production networks won’t happen overnight. Rebuilding industrial ecosystems, everything from skilled labour to raw materials, is a years-long effort. The reshoring movement still faces Plenty of economic resistance, labor shortages, and of course political uncertainty.
For the air cargo industry however, this means balancing readiness with realism. Fleet investments, warehouse upgrades, and tech innovation should be pursued cautiously, but deliberately, if carriers want to lead the charge in a reshaped domestic supply chain.
