Dachser air, sea revenue drops 12.6% amid rates and trade shifts
Falling freight rates and US tariffs hit Dachser’s air and sea logistics, even as overall revenue rose in 2025.
Dachser reported a 3.1% increase in revenue to around €8.3 billion in the 2025 financial year, despite a challenging economic environment, setting a new record for the company. Tonnage transported rose 5.8% to 46.7 million metric tons, while shipments increased 3.6% to 86.2 million.
The company said it achieved organic growth and gained market share in overland transport even as European core markets stagnated and global trade faced uncertainty due to US tariff policy.
Dachser’s recent acquisitions, including DACHSER & FERCAM Italia, Brummer in southern Germany and Austria, and Frigoscandia in the Nordic countries, contributed fully to Group revenue for the first time in 2025. Excluding these acquisitions, revenue growth would have been 0.3%.
The Road Logistics business, which includes European Logistics and Food Logistics, saw revenue grow by around 7% to €6.9 billion. Shipments in this segment rose 3.7% and tonnage increased 6.2%.
Revenue in European Logistics crossed €5 billion for the first time, reaching €5.1 billion, a 5.9% increase year-on-year. Food Logistics recorded stronger growth, with revenue rising 10.1% to over €1.8 billion, supported by recent acquisitions.
In contrast, Air & Sea Logistics revenue declined 12.6% to around €1.4 billion, impacted by a sharp drop in sea freight rates on the Asia–Europe route and a slight decline in air freight rates. The market softened after a strong start, partly due to US tariffs.
In Contract Logistics, Dachser expanded its warehouse capacity by approximately 240,000 pallet spaces across its global network of 174 locations, taking total capacity to over four million pallet spaces.
The company invested around €325 million in 2025 in network expansion, employees, digitalisation, and climate action. It plans to increase investments to over €350 million in 2026 to strengthen its long-term competitive position.
Dachser’s workforce grew by around 200 employees in 2025, reaching approximately 37,500 worldwide.
The company expects market conditions to remain complex and volatile, citing Middle East hostilities affecting air and sea freight capacity on Asia–Europe routes and high fuel prices increasing transport costs. It said it will continue to follow its strategic path in 2026 with a focus on reliability and consistency.
