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

**Global Air Cargo Demand Surges 8.5% in June, IATA Reports**

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.uz) — The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that worldwide demand for air cargo experienced an 8.5% year-on-year increase in June 2026.

This metric, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers, saw an even greater rise of 9.6% for international operations. Concurrently, overall capacity expanded by 4.4%, with international flight capacity growing by 4.9%.

Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General, highlighted that all global regions contributed to this demand growth, with North America being the primary driver.

Walsh observed that the growth in demand outpaced capacity expansion both globally and in every region, with the exceptions of Latin America and the Caribbean. He also noted that demand growth surpassed the growth in global trade, fueled by the transportation of high-tech goods and urgent shipments.

These trends, Walsh stated, provide a basis for optimism for the latter half of 2026, though he cautioned about persistent risks such as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and the United States' increased focus on tariff policies.

Global trade itself saw a 5.2% year-on-year increase in June. Jet fuel prices decreased by 20% compared to May, yet remained 45.8% higher than levels recorded in the previous year.

The global manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) registered a 0.5-point drop to 53.0. Meanwhile, the new export orders index stayed below the 50-point threshold for the fourth consecutive month, reaching 49.4. This suggests that the growth in air freight was concentrated on specific trade routes rather than being a broad-based expansion of global exports.

**Regional Performance Breakdown**

North America led all regions in growth, with demand climbing 13.1% and capacity expanding 6.2%. The Asia-Pacific region, which holds the largest market share globally at 35.8%, saw demand increase by 7.9% and capacity by 4.3%. In Europe, demand rose by 6.9% while capacity grew by 3.7%.

The Middle East experienced a 5.6% increase in demand and a 2.5% rise in capacity. However, IATA pointed out that this figure is inflated due to a weak comparison base, as June 2025 was particularly challenging for Middle Eastern carriers due to disruptions caused by conflict.

Latin America and the Caribbean showed the weakest performance, with demand increasing by 3.5% against a 9.8% surge in capacity. In Africa, demand grew by 4.7% despite a 7.1% contraction in capacity.

**Trade Lane Dynamics**

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

Routes connected to the Persian Gulf continued to be affected by the Middle East conflict. Shipments on the Europe–Middle East route contracted by 41.1% for the fourth consecutive month, and the Middle East–Asia route declined by 4.1%.

Shipments between Europe and North America remained unchanged.