KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 — Total demand of global air cargo, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres, increased by 4.0 per cent in April 2026, compared to April 2025 levels (4.0 per cent for international operations), said the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres, decreased by 0.4 per cent versus April 2025 (0.9 per cent for international operations).
Its director-general Willie Walsh said the global air cargo growth year-on-year (y-o-y) in April was 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 West Asia continued to reshape trade routes and constrain capacity on key corridors,” he said in a statement today.
IATA added that air cargo demand for Asia-Pacific airlines grew 10.5 per cent y-o-y in April, the strongest rise of all regions, while capacity increased by 5.3 per cent y-o-y.
“Carriers from Asia-Pacific served as the principal engine of global cargo growth, accounting for more than half of incremental industry volumes.
“Strong intra-Asian activity and resilient trans-Pacific flows sustained regional momentum,” it said.
Moreover, Europe and North America also contributed positively, benefiting from improving international flows and firm corridor activity with Asia.
“Growth by African carriers reflected buoyant activity on Asia-linked networks,” IATA said.
Several factors in the operating environment should be noted: jet fuel prices rose sharply in April, up 121.1 per cent y-o-y, alongside a 77.7 per cent increase in crude oil prices, while global trade contracted in March by 2.1 per cent month-on-month, highlighting the continued vulnerability of trade momentum to geopolitical shocks.
It noted that the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose 1.9 points to 53.4, while the PMI for new export orders reached 50.2, indicating conditions remain supportive of air cargo demand.
Meanwhile, Walsh said that air cargo is once again keeping supply chains moving amid trade disruptions, with dedicated freighters carrying much of the growth.
“The coming months will test how well the sector can absorb continued geopolitical uncertainty and elevated operating costs,” he said.
As for other regional performances, North American carriers saw a 5.0 per cent y-o-y increase in air cargo demand in April, European carriers rose 6.0 per cent, and African airlines expanded 7.7 per cent, while West Asian carriers saw a decrease of 18.2 per cent y-o-y in demand for air cargo in April, the weakest performance of all regions.
Meanwhile, Latin American and Caribbean carriers saw a 2.8 per cent y-o-y decrease in demand for air cargo last month.
IATA represents over 360 airlines accounting for some 85 per cent of global air traffic.
