Introducing Sea-Air Express: A Multimodal Solution for Asia-to-Europe Trade Lanes

With Middle East disruptions adding weeks to Asia–Europe transit times and air freight rates still elevated, shippers need a third option. Flexport’s Sea-Air Express combines fast-boat ocean from Asia with air uplift from LAX to deliver cargo to Europe in as few as 27 days—at rates up to 41% below pure air freight. The service covers origin ports in both China and Vietnam, giving shippers on the Far East Westbound lane a reliable, geopolitically derisked alternative regardless of where their goods are manufactured.

The Market Context

The Asia-to-Europe trade lane has faced sustained pressure since late 2023, when Houthi attacks in the Red Sea forced carriers to reroute vessels around the Cape of Good Hope. These diversions added 10 to 14 days to ocean transit times and drove sharp rate increases. In February of 2026, a broader military escalation in the Middle East intensified the situation by effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, suspending Suez Canal transits, and shutting down air space across the Gulf states. Several carriers invoked force majeure.

For shippers moving goods from Asia to Europe, these disruptions have resulted in a difficult set of choices. Ocean-only routing now regularly exceeds 50 days on the Far East Westbound lane. Air freight capacity out of Asia remains constrained and expensive, particularly as European carriers like Lufthansa, British Airways, and LOT Polish Airlines have curtailed or suspended routes due to Middle East air space restrictions.

The result: shippers are caught between slow, unpredictable ocean transit and volatile, elevated air rates.

What Is Sea-Air Express?

Sea-Air Express is Flexport’s multimodal shipping product for the Far East Westbound trade lane. It combines two legs: a fast-boat LCL ocean service from major Asian ports to the U.S. West Coast, followed by premium air freight from Los Angeles to European hubs.

Ex-China Routes

The China routing uses Matson’s fast-boat service—one of the quickest Trans-Pacific crossings available—departing from Shanghai or Yantian and arriving at the Port of Long Beach in 16 to 18 days. From there, cargo is transferred to Flexport’s dedicated container freight station (CFS) at LAX, deconsolidated, reconsolidated into air freight units, and loaded onto aircraft bound for Amsterdam (AMS), Frankfurt (FRA), London Heathrow (LHR), or Milan Malpensa (MXP). The air leg takes approximately 7 days.

Total CFS-to-CFS transit time: 27 days.

Ex-Vietnam Routes

The Vietnam routing uses ZIM's ZEX service, departing from Haiphong or Ho Chi Minh City and arriving at the Port of Long Beach. The ocean leg takes approximately 23 days from Haiphong, and 30 days from Ho Chi Minh City.

From Long Beach, cargo follows the same LAX transshipment process involving deconsolidation at Flexport's CFS, reconsolidation into air freight units, and air uplift to the same four European hubs: Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London Heathrow, and Milan Malpensa.

Total CFS-to-CFS transit time: 34 days from Haiphong, 41 days from Ho Chi Minh City.

End-to-End Visibility

Across both origin countries, all movements are coordinated on the Flexport Platform. Customers have complete visibility from origin loading to Trans-Pacific sailing, LAX transshipment, and final air delivery into Europe.

Why LAX, Not Dubai?

Multimodal sea-air services are not new. Dubai, geographically positioned between Asia and Europe, is a natural gateway for this model and the biggest sea-air transshipment hub in the Middle East.

But the current geopolitical environment has exposed the vulnerability of that approach. With the Strait of Hormuz closed and Gulf air space restricted, Dubai-routed sea-air products are directly exposed to the same disruptions shippers are trying to avoid. Sea-Air Express routes cargo across the Pacific to remove Middle East exposure entirely, whether originating in China or Vietnam.

The LAX routing also offers specific operational advantages. Cargo enters U.S. territory under 7512 “in-bond” status, which means it transits through Flexport’s LAX CFS without formal customs entry and without triggering U.S. duties. This is a significant differentiator: shippers are not importing goods into the United States; they are simply transshipping through it. Additionally, the air leg uses Cargo Aircraft Only (CAO) flights, which eliminates the “Known Shipper” status requirement that gates access to many commercial air freight routes. Any shipper can use this service immediately.

The Cost-Transit Tradeoff

For shippers weighing their options on the Asia-to-Europe corridor, Sea-Air Express sits in a distinct space between the two traditional modes:

Disclaimer: All transit times and costs are estimates and subject to change based on carrier schedules, market conditions, and cargo specifics.

From China: Sea-Air Express delivers cargo to Europe in about 27 days at rates 41% below pure air freight. If you're currently shipping ocean LCL from China to Europe and losing 50+ days to transit, that's nearly half the time. If you're shipping air because you need speed, this saves you over 40% per kilogram while adding roughly two and a half weeks to your delivery window.

From Vietnam: Sea-Air Express delivers cargo to Europe in 34 to 41 days—50% faster than ocean—at rates 34% below pure air freight. For shippers sourcing from Vietnam who are currently on all-ocean routings that stretch well past 60 days through the Cape of Good Hope, this is a material improvement. And for those priced into air freight, the savings remain substantial, even with a slightly longer transit window than the China routing.

That tradeoff makes Sea-Air Express a strong fit for many shippers, particularly those managing seasonal inventory, promotional launches, or just-in-time replenishment.

Who Should Consider This?

Sea-Air Express is designed for shippers on the Far East Westbound trade lane, specifically those moving LCL cargo from China or Vietnam to major European markets. It’s particularly relevant for companies that have been affected by ongoing Middle East disruptions and are looking for a reliable alternative that doesn’t require a full commitment to air freight pricing.

It’s also worth evaluating if you’re currently using a Dubai-routed sea-air product. The geopolitical risk profile of that routing has materially changed in recent months, and an LAX-based alternative removes the single biggest vulnerability in the traditional sea-air model.

For shippers with dual-origin supply chains involving manufacturing in both China and Vietnam, Sea-Air Express provides a single transshipment architecture through LAX that simplifies operations and consolidates European distribution through the same set of destination hubs.

How Flexport Is Responding to the Current Market

Sea-Air Express is one piece of Flexport’s broader response to the Middle East disruptions. As noted in our recent market advisory, our teams are evaluating alternative routings across both ocean and air, negotiating with non-Middle Eastern carriers to secure remaining capacity, and reflecting all diversions and adjustments in real time on the Flexport Platform and Flexport Atlas.

For ocean freight, we continue to recommend that shippers on Asia–Europe lanes consider West Coast routing with transload options where appropriate. For air freight, we are actively working to identify alternative gateways for shipments that previously moved through Gulf hubs. Sea-Air Express adds a third option to that toolkit—one that balances cost, speed, and exposure to disruption in a way that neither pure ocean nor pure air can offer on its own.

Next Steps

Rates for Sea-Air Express are currently valid through March 31, 2026, with standard and deferred service tiers available for all four European destination hubs. Reach out to your Flexport account team to discuss whether Sea-Air Express is the right fit for your supply chain, or get in touch here.

For the latest on how Middle East disruptions are affecting ocean and air freight, visit our live Middle East escalation blog, subscribe to our Global Logistics Updates newsletter, and monitor live vessel movements through Flexport Atlas.