Total air cargo demand strongly recovered in April with a 4.0 percent growth, reversing a 4.8 percent decline in March, driven by strong Asia-linked trade flows, global data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) revealed.
Based on the report, total demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTK), increased by 4.0 percent compared to April 2025 levels (+4.0% for international operations). Capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTK), decreased by -0.4% compared to April 2025 (-0.9% for international operations).
In terms of regional performance, Asia-Pacific airlines saw a 10.5 percent year-on-year growth in air cargo demand in April, the strongest rise of all regions. Capacity increased by 5.3 percent year-on-year.
North American carriers posted a 5.0 percent year-on-year increase in air cargo demand in April. Capacity increased by 1.2 percent year-on-year.
European carriers saw a 6.0 percent year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo in April. Capacity increased by 3.0 percent year-on-year.
African airlines also experienced an encouraging 7.7 percent year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo in April although . capacity declined by 9.4 percent year-on-year.
Middle Eastern carriers still remained in the negative territory posting an 18.2 percent decline in cargo demand in April, the weakest performance of all regions. Capacity decreased by -22.9 percent year-on-year.
Latin American and Caribbean carriers saw a slight decrease of 2.8 percent year-on-year decrease in demand for air cargo in April. Capacity, however, increased by 1.2 percent year-on-year.
Air cargo performance diverged across major trade lanes in April. Africa–Asia led growth followed by Asia–Europe, with intra-Asia also holding strong on regional trade. In contrast, Gulf-linked corridors were severely disrupted by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director Genera, however, cautioned the positive news stating it masks a more complex operating environment. “Severe disruption at major Gulf hubs due to the war in the Middle East continued to reshape trade routes and constrain capacity on key corridors. With dedicated freighters carrying much of the growth, air cargo is once again keeping supply chains moving amid trade disruptions. The coming months will test how well the sector can absorb continued geopolitical uncertainty and elevated operating costs,” said Walsh.
Several factors in the operating environment should be noted, he said. These are the following:
- Global trade contracted in March by 2.1 percent month-on-month after four consecutive months of growth, highlighting the continued vulnerability of trade momentum to geopolitical shocks.
- Jet fuel prices rose sharply in April, up 121.1 percent year-on-year, alongside a 77.7 percent increase in crude oil prices.
- Global manufacturing sentiment remained in growth territory in April, strengthening from March. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose 1.9 points to 53.4, while the PMI for new export orders reached 50.2. With both indicators above the 50-point expansion threshold, conditions remain supportive for air cargo demand.
