Skip to content

US PPI — Scheduled Freight Air Transportation

Producer Price Index for scheduled freight air transportation.

181.846−1.9% m/m+5.8% y/y+9.7% 5y

Sep 2026 value · Next print expected around Nov 2026 · Source: BLS

Price history

Sep 2026 · latest181.846+9.7%since Sep 2021
15016017018019020021020222023202420252026181.8
Move along the line to read any month

Copy the values

Paste straight into Excel, Google Sheets or an email. Spreadsheet format lands as two columns.

Range
Format

Preview13 rows, newest first. Click a value to copy it.
MonthValueChange m/m
Sep 2026−1.9%
Aug 2026+5.1%
Jul 2026−12.7%
Jun 2026−1.1%
May 2026+4.8%
Apr 2026+11.5%
Mar 2026−0.2%
Feb 2026−1.0%
Jan 2026−0.6%
Dec 2025+3.0%
Nov 2025−0.5%
Oct 2025+1.0%
Sep 2025+0.3%

Same numbers as the chart, straight from BLS. Dates are the first of each period, the way BLS reports them.

How it's built

Air freight rose 5.8% over the last 12 months, but all of its main inputs rose faster: jet fuel +104.4%. That cost pressure may still pass through to prices.

Key figures

Since Jan 2017
+19.9%
151.7 to 181.8
12-month volatility
±5.4%
std. dev. of monthly change
Largest monthly rise
+11.5%
Apr 2026
10% cap would bind
3 of 36
months, annual base reset
  • From Jan 2017 to Sep 2026 the index went from 151.7 to 181.8, a change of +19.9%.
  • Highest reading in that period: 204.2 in May 2026. Lowest: 147.3 in May 2017.
  • Largest one-month rise: +11.5% in Apr 2026. Largest one-month fall: -12.7% in Jul 2026.
  • For a clause that resets its base every year, a 10% cap or floor would have limited the adjustment in 3 of the last 36 months.

Use it in a contract

Draft clause citing this series

A starting point citing this series by name and code. Replace the bracketed terms with your contract's actual scope before use.

The [affected portion] of the Contract Price shall be adjusted using US PPI — Scheduled Freight Air Transportation (BLS series PCU481112481112), published by BLS.

Base Period: the index value published for September 2026 (or the month of contract signing, if different) is the Base Value.

Adjustment: at each Adjustment Date, the Current Value is the most recently published three-month average of the index (the Averaging Window). The Escalation Factor equals Current Value divided by Base Value.

Cap: the Escalation Factor applied under this clause shall not exceed 1.10 or fall below 0.90 (a 10% cap and floor) in any single Adjustment Date, regardless of the index's actual movement.

[Replace bracketed terms with your contract's actual affected-portion definition and adjustment-date schedule before use. This is a drafting starting point, not legal advice.]
Why contracts cite this index

Covers commercial air cargo service, relevant to a time-sensitive freight contract where air is a real alternative to ocean or truck, not just an emergency option.

How this index is used (1 guide)

How do you structure a price escalation clause for maritime and port equipment contracts?

Split the contract into four categories: shipbuilding, ship parts, port equipment, and port equipment parts. Shipbuilding indexes to BLS PCU336611336611. Port cranes use PCU333923333923, a general lifting-equipment index that is a proxy, not an exact match. The two parts categories have no output index at all, so build those from a weighted input composite.

Let Escalake run this clause for you

Escalake tracks US PPI — Scheduled Freight Air Transportation, applies your formula, and gives both sides a number they can confirm, no spreadsheet required.