According to data for the month of September released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), global air cargo demand has softened.
Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers, fell 10.6% compared to September 2021 (-10.6% also for international operations), but continued to track at near pre-pandemic levels (-3.6%).
IATA notes capacity was 2.4% above September 2021 (+5.0% for international operations) but still 7.4% below September 2019 levels (-8.1% for international operations).
Asia-Pacific airlines saw their air cargo volumes decrease by 10.7% in September compared to the same month in 2021. North American carriers posted a 6.0% decrease in cargo volumes. European carriers saw a 15.6% decrease in cargo volumes in September 2022 compared to the same month in 2021. Middle Eastern carriers experienced a 15.8% year-on-year decrease.
Latin American carriers reported an increase of 10.8% in their cargo volumes compared to September 2021. This was the strongest performance of all regions. African airlines saw cargo volumes increase by 0.1%.