According to data for January released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) global air cargo total demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTK), rose by 3.2% compared to January 2024 levels (3.6% for international operations) for an 18th consecutive month of growth.
Capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTK), increased by 6.8% compared to January 2024 (7.3% for international operations).
“January marked 18 consecutive months of growth for air cargo, but the month’s 3.2% 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% decline from December as cargo load factors also declined by an average of 1.5 percentage 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,” said IATA’s Director General, WIllie Walsh.
Asia-Pacific airlines saw 7.5% year-on-year demand growth for air cargo in January and North American carriers saw 5.3% year-on-year demand growth.
European carriers saw 1.3% year-on-year demand growth for air cargo in January and Middle Eastern carriers saw 8.4% year-on-year demand decrease.
Latin American carriers saw an 11.2% year-on-year increase in demand growth for air cargo in January, the strongest growth among the regions.
