International Shipping Times in 2025: A Comprehensive Guide to Key Trade Lane Performance
Executive Summary: Key Changes in 2025
The international shipping landscape in 2025 is characterized by new direct routes, infrastructure investments, and evolving service patterns aimed at balancing speed, cost, and reliability. Recent developments include new air and ocean services focused on connecting Chinese manufacturing hubs with key consumer markets in Europe and North America, as well as growing intra-Asia networks
Major East-West Trade Lanes: Transit Time Analysis
1. China to Northern Europe
•Ocean Shipping: 25-35 days for standard container shipping (FCL)
（Currently, most of them need to go around the Cape of Good Hope in Africa, which will add an additional 15-20 days to the transit time.）
•Air Freight: 3-7 days for air cargo services
•Rail Alternative: Approximately 18 days via China-Europe Railway Expres
The China-Europe railway has emerged as a competitive alternative, with recent services demonstrating significant time savings compared to traditional ocean freight. For instance, a new dedicated train service launched in August 2025 reduced transit time to 18 days, compared to 45 days for ocean transport, while cutting logistics costs by 30%
2. China to North America
West Coast Services (LA/LB)
•Ocean Shipping: 25-35 days
•Air Freight: 3-5 days
East Coast Services (NY/NJ)
•Ocean Shipping: 20-28 days
•Air Freight: 5-7 days
Enhanced East Coast services have emerged in 2025, with new direct routes offering improved transit times. For example, the ONLY23 service launched in August 2025 claims to deliver goods to East Coast warehouses within 20 days through optimized ocean transport and efficient drayage networks
New Routes Reshaping Transit Times in 2025
Several new services launched in 2025 are significantly improving connectivity and reducing delivery times:
China to Europe Air Corridors：
•Urumqi to Paris/Madrid: New regular international cargo routes from Urumqi Tianshan International Airport reduce transit times to approximately 9 hours to Paris and 12 hours to Madrid
•Xi’an to European hubs: New routes connect to Milan, Italy; Tbilisi, Georgia; Debrecen, Hungary; and Madrid, Spain, enhancing connectivity from Western China
•Zhengzhou to Luxembourg: A China Post route established in June 2025 leverages the geographic advantages of both hubs for regular operations
China to Americas Enhancements：
•Ningbo to Miami: A direct freight route launched March 31, 2025, operated by Kalitta Air, with 1-2 weekly flights
•Qingdao/Shanghai to Mexico: COSCO Shipping and OOCL jointly opened new direct routes to Ensenada and Manzanillo, with transit times of 16 days to Ensenada and 20 days to Manzanillo
Regional Asia Network Expansion：
•Zhuhai to Hanoi: The newly activated Zhuhai Airport International Freight Port enables direct flights to Hanoi in just 2 hours, significantly improving connectivity for the Pearl River Delta West region
•China-Russia Far East Route: Capacity upgrades have doubled service frequency to 6 monthly sailings, improving connectivity to Vladivostok and supporting trade in apparel, furniture, electronics, and chemical products
Key Performance Indicators for International Logistics (2025 Q1)
- Segment
- Ocean FCL
- Air Freight
- Destination Clearance
- Overseas Warehouse Transfer
- Last-mile Delivery
- Average Transit Time
- 25-35 days
- 3-7 days
- 2-3 days
- Within 24 hours
- 1-2 days
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—YunQur Logistics Team
YunQur – Your trusted freight partner in China
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