An aerosol-generating article (10, 60) for producing an inhalable aerosol upon heating, the aerosol-generating article (10, 60) comprising: a rod of aerosol-generating substrate (12, 62); a mouthpiece segment (16, 66) comprising a plug of filtration material; and a tubular support element (14, 64) at a location between the rod (12, 62) and the mouthpiece segment (16, 66), wherein the tubular support element (14, 64) is in longitudinal alignment with the rod (12, 62) and the mouthpiece segment (16, 66), is arranged immediately downstream of the rod (12, 62), and defines at least one airflow conduit (30, 32, 34, 36) establishing fluid communication between the rod and the mouthpiece segment; wherein the tubular support element (14, 64) comprises a cylindrical peripheral wall a portion of the material (26, 28) of the tubular support element (14, 64) projecting inwardly and delimited at the upstream end of the tubular support element (14, 64) by at least one surface spaced from a transverse plane tangent to the most upstream end surface of the peripheral wall and wherein the aerosol-generating article (10, 60) comprises a recess defined by the tubular support element (14, 64), the recess being comprised between a downstream end surface of the rod (12, 62) and an upstream end surface of the tubular support element (14, 64), the recess having a length of less than about 10 percent of an overall length of the aerosol-generating article (10, 60); and wherein the at least one airflow conduit (30, 32, 34, 36) extends longitudinally from a downstream end of the recess to the mouthpiece segment (16, 66), and wherein a cross-sectional area of the recess changes along the length of the recess. a rod of aerosol-generating substrate (12, 62); a mouthpiece segment (16, 66) comprising a plug of filtration material; and a tubular support element (14, 64) at a location between the rod (12, 62) and the mouthpiece segment (16, 66), wherein the tubular support element (14, 64) is in longitudinal alignment with the rod (12, 62) and the mouthpiece segment (16, 66), is arranged immediately downstream of the rod (12, 62), and defines at least one airflow conduit (30, 32, 34, 36) establishing fluid communication between the rod and the mouthpiece segment; wherein the tubular support element (14, 64) comprises a cylindrical peripheral wall a portion of the material (26, 28) of the tubular support element (14, 64) projecting inwardly and delimited at the upstream end of the tubular support element (14, 64) by at least one surface spaced from a transverse plane tangent to the most upstream end surface of the peripheral wall and wherein the aerosol-generating article (10, 60) comprises a recess defined by the tubular support element (14, 64), the recess being comprised between a downstream end surface of the rod (12, 62) and an upstream end surface of the tubular support element (14, 64), the recess having a length of less than about 10 percent of an overall length of the aerosol-generating article (10, 60); and wherein the at least one airflow conduit (30, 32, 34, 36) extends longitudinally from a downstream end of the recess to the mouthpiece segment (16, 66), and wherein a cross-sectional area of the recess changes along the length of the recess.