Global air cargo demand rises 4% in April 2026 amid Middle East capacity disruptions

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) today released data for the April 2026 global air cargo markets, revealing a 4.0% increase in total demand compared to April 2025.

However, this growth is set against a tightening supply chain, as global capacity dipped by 0.4% over the same period, heavily impacted by ongoing geopolitical conflict.

• Global Demand: Measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs), demand rose by 4.0% year-on-year (+4.0% for international operations).

• Global Capacity: Measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTKs), capacity contracted by -0.4% compared to April 2025 (-0.9% for international operations).

• “Air cargo demand grew 4% year-on-year in April, driven by strong Asia-linked trade flows. But this positive news 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 Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

While demand remains resilient, the broader operating landscape presents a mix of strong economic fundamentals and severe cost pressures:

• Surging Fuel Costs: Operational pressures mounted sharply as jet fuel prices soared 121.1% year-on-year in April, alongside a 77.7% spike in crude oil prices.

• Robust Manufacturing Sentiment: Global manufacturing remains a strong tailwind. The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose 1.9 points to 53.4 in April, while the new export orders PMI ticked up to 50.2. Both sit above the critical 50-point threshold, signaling economic expansion.

• Volatile Global Trade: Highlighting the market’s vulnerability to geopolitical shocks, global trade contracted by 2.1% month-on-month in March, snapping a four-month streak of consecutive growth.

Air cargo performance diverged significantly by geography in April. Growth was heavily driven by Africa-Asia and Asia-Europe lanes, while routes connected to the Gulf experienced steep declines due to regional conflict.