Even as North America is getting up to speed economically, a cyclical slowdown in emerging markets is squelching the prospects for significant advances in the global airfreight market, according to the Airports Council International half-year report. The council also predicted limited global growth for the remainder of 2015. Airfreight volume worldwide grew in June at 2.1 percent, year-over-year, with domestic traffic increasing 4.8 percent, yet international freight volume only increased 0.9 percent.

As we enter the second half of the year, performance figures for May from the industry's leading research firms are painting a rather dismal airfreight picture for the rest of 2015.

Shorter supply chains resulting from near-shoring could have an impact on future airfreight volumes, if new research from logistics provider BDP International proves to be an accurate indicator.