The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data on July 29, 2026, showing that global air cargo demand rose 8.5% in June compared to the same month in 2025. According to the industry group, total demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTK), increased by 8.5% year-on-year, while international operations saw a 9.6% rise. Capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTK), grew by 4.4% globally and 4.9% for international operations.

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IATA Director General Willie Walsh commented that demand growth outpaced capacity at the global level and in all regions except Latin America and the Caribbean. He noted that North America was the strongest contributor to growth, though all regions posted positive year-on-year demand. Walsh indicated that demand grew faster than global trade, supported by high-value technology products and urgent shipments. He expressed optimism for the second half of 2026 but warned of risks including ongoing hostilities in the Middle East and a renewed focus on tariffs by the United States.

Global trade increased by 5.2% year-on-year. Jet fuel prices fell 20% month-on-month in June but remained 45.8% above year-earlier levels. Global manufacturing activity eased slightly in June but remained supportive, while export orders weakened. The Global Manufacturing Output Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell 0.5 points to 53.0, and the New Export Orders Index stayed below the 50-mark for a fourth consecutive month at 49.4. This suggests that air cargo growth was driven by specific trade flows rather than a broad-based increase in global exports.

Regional Performance

North American carriers recorded the strongest regional performance, with a 13.1% year-on-year increase in air cargo demand in June, while capacity rose 6.2%. Asia-Pacific airlines saw a 7.9% demand increase and a 4.3% capacity rise. European carriers posted a 6.9% demand gain with capacity up 3.7%. Middle Eastern carriers experienced a 5.6% demand increase and a 2.5% capacity rise, though IATA noted that the comparison to June 2025 was skewed positive because that month was particularly weak for the region due to disruptions from military conflict. Latin American and Caribbean carriers had the weakest performance, with a 3.5% demand increase and a 9.8% capacity rise. African airlines saw a 4.7% demand increase while capacity decreased by 7.1%.

Trade Lane Growth

Air cargo performance diverged across major trade lanes in June. The Asia–North America lane recorded the strongest growth at 14.7%, marking five consecutive months of expansion. Within Asia grew 7.2% for 32 consecutive months, Europe–Asia rose 7.1% for 40 consecutive months, and Africa–Asia increased 0.9% for 12 consecutive months. In contrast, Gulf-linked corridors remained disrupted by the Middle East conflict. The Europe–Middle East lane contracted 41.1% for four consecutive months, and the Middle East–Asia lane fell 4.1% for four consecutive months. The Europe–North America lane showed no growth.

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform