KUALA LUMPUR: Teleport, Capital A’s logistics arm, has adopted dynamic fuel surcharges to manage rising cost pressures amid fuel price volatility.
Its CFO Craig Matthews said the company responded quickly to fuel price fluctuations, including lowering surcharges when costs eased.
“We took a bit of a chance with this. But also when fuel went down, we revised it downward and passed it back to customers quickly,” he said at the MIA International Accountants Conference 2026 yesterday.
Matthews said fuel remains the biggest operational challenge for air logistics players, particularly in the e-commerce segment, noting that Teleport was quick to respond when prices surged.
“We have been through these cycles before so when fuel prices really jumped, we were very quick to respond,” he said.
He added that Teleport was among the first in the region to roll out a fuel surcharge, supported by established systems and data.
“We knew who we needed to communicate with, how to charge it, and where the data was to make sure we got the pricing right, particularly AirAsia,” he said.
Matthews said financial predictability remains limited, prompting a more tactical approach to capacity planning.
“Predictability would be nice, but you don’t really have it, we are not taking any long positions, anything beyond two to three months is a bet,” he said.
He added that Teleport focuses on matching capacity with demand to avoid overcommitting.
“We could go out tomorrow and buy all the capacity in the world, but if we can’t fill it, then we’ve got a problem,” he said.
Matthews noted that Teleport’s e-commerce focus requires a short-term, responsive approach, as the company balances risk management with growth ahead of a potential IPO.
“We’re looking to IPO in a couple of years, we need to deliver over the next one or two years,” he said.
He also highlighted structural pressure on suppliers, as low delivery costs remain a priority for customers and platforms.
“So when you have campaigns like 10.10 and 11.11, they’re not staffed to cope, and the SLA suffers, you can’t keep squeezing suppliers if you want a reliable supply chain,” he said.
