A recent recall of automobile air bags, paired with the ongoing West Coast port crisis in the United States, has provided another boon to airfreight charter flights from Japan, much like what happened to eastbound traffic from Asia to North America during peak season.
Air bags made by Takata Corp., a major Tokyo-based auto part supplier, which were installed in automobiles from model year 2002 to 2008 could deploy explosively, and are being recalled in as much as 18 million vehicles.
The problem is getting new air bags to the U.S. from Japan. With a potential shutdown looming next week at West Coast ports over a nine-month labor dispute, Japanese automakers have limited options right now, so they are now depending on air cargo. Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., which makes Subaru, has already moved to chartered cargo flights to avoid U.S. production from coming to a halt.
As reported in The Loadstar, about 42 airfreight charters from Japan to the U.S. are booked in February due to the port congestion caused by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) labor dispute and the air bag recalls. JAL, Atlas Air, ANA and Kalitta are all pitching in to help.
Business Insider Australia reported that the chief labor negotiator for terminal operators warned West Coast ports were days away from complete gridlock in the first week of February. Union officials in turn played down the potential for shutdowns, suggesting management was exaggerating the situation as a negotiation tactic.
But the airbags and other auto parts have got to move. Six people in the U.S. to date have been killed by exploding Takata air bags, and 10 different automakers have recalled vehicles with the Takata air bags that are on either the driver’s or passenger’s side of the vehicle.