The air cargo industry is well practiced at dealing with shifts in the operating environment
Boosted by e-commerce and trade, global air cargo demand registered a growth in January, marking 18 consecutive months of growth, says a report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), an airline trade association.
In a press statement, IATA says that the data highlights the growth trend, albeit at a slower pace compared to previous months.
IATA says that the total demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTK), increased by 3.2 pc year-over-year, marking the 18th consecutive month of growth and this increase was accompanied by a 3.6 pc rise in international operations.
IATA adds that this growth is supported by factors such as expanding e-commerce and trade growth, although it is slower than the 11.3 pc increase seen in 2024.
The airline trade association says that the Asia-Pacific region saw a 7.5 pc year-on-year demand growth, while Latin American carriers experienced the strongest growth at 11.2 pc and conversely, Middle Eastern carriers faced an 8.4 pc decrease in demand.
According to the press statement, trade lanes like Asia-North America and Europe-North America continued to grow, with increases of 6.1 pc and 9.7 pc, respectively.
Willie Walsh
“January marked 18 consecutive months of growth for air cargo, but the month’s 3.2 pc year-on-year growth is a moderation from double-digit peaks in 2024. Similarly, yields, while still above January 2024 levels, saw a 9.9 pc decline from December as cargo load factors also declined by an average of 1.5 pc points. While external factors such as trade growth, declining fuel costs and expanding e-commerce remain positive for air cargo, it is important to closely watch the evolution of market conditions at this time. In particular, the wild card is the potential for tariff-driven trade policies from the US Trump Administration. Fortunately, the air cargo industry is well practiced at dealing with shifts in the operating environment,” says Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA.
IATA adds that despite these positive trends, the air cargo industry faces challenges, including tariff-driven trade policies from the U.S. and fluctuations in global economic conditions.
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