Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Global air cargo demand increased by 7.7% in September 2026 compared with the same month a year earlier, while international cargo traffic grew by 8.6%, according to data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on 29 October.
Demand increased across all regions, supported by stronger global trade and industrial activity. However, sharply rising aviation fuel prices continued to put pressure on airline profitability.
Demand Outpaces Capacity Growth
Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTK), rose by 7.7% year on year in September.
Capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres (ACTK), increased by 2.7% globally and 3.3% on international routes.
With demand expanding faster than capacity, the global cargo load factor increased by 2.2 percentage points to 47.9%.
Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA's Senior Vice President for Sustainability and Chief Economist, said cargo demand had grown in every region.
She attributed the increase to stronger global trade and industrial activity, while shipments linked to artificial intelligence contributed to another month of double-digit growth on trans-Pacific routes.
However, Thomsen identified rising operating costs as the industry's principal challenge.
Aviation fuel prices have more than doubled over the past year, while cargo yields have failed to keep pace with the increase.
She noted that although sufficient cargo was available for transportation, maintaining profitability had become increasingly difficult amid persistently high fuel prices.
Fuel Prices More Than Double Year on Year
According to IATA, aviation fuel prices rose by 17.5% in September compared with August and were 103.4% higher than in September 2025.
Meanwhile, global trade increased by 3.6% year on year in August, marking 42 consecutive months of growth.
Global manufacturing activity also strengthened during the month.
The global manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) increased by 0.7 points to 53.8, while the new export orders index rose by 0.5 points to 51.9.
Both indicators reached their highest levels in five years.
IATA said the figures continued to provide a favourable environment for air cargo demand.
Regional Air Cargo Performance
North American carriers recorded the strongest demand growth in September, with volumes increasing by 11.8% year on year.
Capacity rose by just 0.8%, pushing the regional cargo load factor up by 4.3 percentage points to 43.9%.
North America accounted for 24.6% of the global air cargo market in 2025.
Asia-Pacific airlines, representing 35.8% of the market, reported an 8.6% increase in demand and a 4.9% rise in capacity.
Their cargo load factor improved by 1.7 percentage points to 50.7%.
European carriers, which account for 21.4% of the market, recorded demand growth of 4.5%, while capacity declined by 1.6%.
As a result, their load factor increased by 3.2 percentage points to 54.6%, the highest among the regions.
In Latin America and the Caribbean, which represent 2.9% of the global market, demand increased by 6.7% and capacity expanded by 7.6%.
The regional load factor consequently declined by 0.3 percentage points to 34.3%.
African airlines, accounting for 2.1% of the market, reported a 4.7% increase in demand despite a 1.2% reduction in capacity.
Their load factor rose by 2.7 percentage points to 47.0%.
Middle Eastern carriers recorded the weakest demand growth among all regions.
Demand increased by 3.8%, while capacity expanded by 7.0%, resulting in a 1.4-percentage-point decline in the load factor to 44.0%.
The Middle East accounted for 13.2% of the global air cargo market in 2025.
Major Trade Routes Show Mixed Results
Air cargo performance varied significantly across major international trade corridors in September.
The Asia–North America route recorded the strongest growth, with cargo volumes increasing by 17.0% year on year.
The route, which represents 23.5% of the global market, has now recorded eight consecutive months of growth.
Intra-Asian cargo traffic increased by 10.2%, extending its growth streak to 35 consecutive months. The corridor accounts for 7.3% of the market.
Air freight volumes between Europe and North America rose by 9.3%, marking a fifth consecutive month of expansion. This route represents 13.5% of the market.
The Europe–Asia corridor, accounting for 21.5% of global air cargo traffic, recorded growth of 6.0%, extending its expansion to 43 consecutive months.
Cargo traffic between Africa and Asia increased by 2.6%, marking the first month of growth for the corridor, which represents 1.3% of the market.
However, routes involving the Middle East continued to face significant pressure.
Cargo volumes between Europe and the Middle East declined by 18.0% year on year. The corridor accounts for 5.2% of the global market.
Traffic between the Middle East and Asia fell by 10.2%, with the route representing 7.4% of the market.
Both corridors have now recorded seven consecutive months of declining volumes.
The September figures indicate that international air cargo demand remains supported by expanding trade and manufacturing activity, although high fuel costs and uneven regional performance continue to present challenges for airlines.
IATA represents more than 370 airlines, accounting for approximately 85% of global air traffic.
