Global Air Cargo Demand Rises 8.5% in June, IATA Says

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — Global demand for air cargo grew 8.5% year-on-year in June 2026, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

The indicator, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers, increased 9.6% for international operations. Capacity rose 4.4% overall and 4.9% for international flights.

IATA Director General Willie Walsh noted that demand increased across all regions worldwide, with North America making the largest contribution to growth.

He said demand growth outpaced capacity growth globally and in every region except Latin America and the Caribbean. Demand also grew faster than global trade, supported by shipments of high-tech products and urgent cargo.

Walsh cited these trends as grounds for optimism in the second half of 2026, while highlighting remaining risks, including ongoing conflict in the Middle East and increased U.S. focus on tariff policy.

Global trade grew 5.2% year-on-year in June. Jet fuel prices fell 20% compared with May, but remained 45.8% above last year's levels.

The global manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) fell 0.5 points to 53.0, while the new export orders index remained below the 50-point mark for a fourth consecutive month at 49.4, indicating that air freight growth was driven by specific trade routes rather than a broad-based increase in global exports.

Regional Performance

North America recorded the strongest growth among regions, with demand rising 13.1% and capacity increasing 6.2%. In the Asia-Pacific region, the largest market with a 35.8% global share, demand rose 7.9% and capacity grew 4.3%. In Europe, demand increased 6.9% while capacity rose 3.7%.

In the Middle East, demand grew 5.6% and capacity rose 2.5%. However, IATA noted that this figure is skewed upward due to a weak comparison base, as June 2025 was particularly difficult for Middle Eastern carriers because of conflict-related disruptions.

Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the weakest performance, with demand rising 3.5% alongside a 9.8% capacity increase. In Africa, demand rose 4.7% despite a 7.1% contraction in capacity.

Trade Lanes

Trends across major trade routes were mixed. The Asia–North America route posted the highest growth at 14.7%—its fifth consecutive month of expansion—accounting for 23.5% of total industry volume. Intra-Asia shipments grew 7.2% (32nd consecutive month of growth), the Europe–Asia route expanded 7.1% (40th consecutive month of growth), and Africa–Asia rose 0.9% (12th consecutive month of growth).

Routes linked to the Persian Gulf remained under pressure from the Middle East conflict, with Europe–Middle East shipments contracting 41.1% in a fourth consecutive month of decline, and the Middle East–Asia route falling 4.1%.

Europe–North America shipments remained unchanged.