Global air cargo demand jumps 6% in May despite Middle East slump

Global air cargo demand rose 6% year-on-year in May, supported by strong growth in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Monday.

Total demand, measured in cargo ton-kilometers, or CTK, increased 6% compared with May 2025, while international operations posted a 6.5% rise, according to IATA data.

Capacity, measured in available cargo ton-kilometers, or ACTK, rose 1.9% globally and 2.8% for international operations.

“Air cargo demand grew 6% year-on-year in May, with Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North American regions all reporting above trend growth,” IATA Director General Willie Walsh said.

Walsh said Middle Eastern carriers, however, reported a combined contraction of 8.9% year-on-year as war-related impacts continued.

“May’s strong performance coupled with macro-economic factors give cautious optimism for air cargo’s prospects over the remainder of the year,” he said.

He added that trade and manufacturing output continued to grow, while airlines adapted their operations to shifting demand patterns and supply chain needs.

By region, African airlines posted the strongest annual growth in May, with demand up 13.3%, while capacity increased 1.3%.

North American carriers saw air cargo demand rise 10.5%, with capacity up 2.4%. Asia-Pacific airlines recorded 8% demand growth and a 5.1% increase in capacity.

European carriers reported a 6.7% rise in demand, while capacity increased 2.2%.

Latin American and Caribbean carriers posted a 1.9% increase in demand, though capacity rose faster at 5.6%.

Middle Eastern carriers recorded the weakest regional performance, with demand falling 8.9% and capacity declining 9.2%.

IATA said global trade rose 5% year-on-year, extending 25 months of consecutive annual growth.

Jet fuel prices fell 16.3% month-on-month in May but remained 93.5% above year-earlier levels.

The global manufacturing output purchasing managers’ index rose to 53.5 in May, while the new export orders index stayed below the 50-point threshold at 49.6, indicating that air cargo growth was driven by selected trade flows rather than a broad-based recovery in global exports.

Among major trade lanes, Asia-North America led growth with a 19.9% annual increase, followed by Africa-Asia with 14.1%, intra-Europe with 11.5% and Europe-Asia with 10%.

Gulf-linked corridors remained under pressure, with Europe-Middle East traffic down 19.8% and Middle East-Asia traffic falling 16.5%.