Air cargo demand grew 3.9% in July – IATA

Air cargo globally demand grew 3.9% year-on-year in July 2026. While all regions recorded growth, airlines in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America accounted for more than 90% of the overall increase.

Marie Owens Thomsen, International Air Transport Association’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist,  stated this in a reaction to the data for global air cargo markets in the month released by IATA.

The data by IATA) indicated that: Total demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTK), increased by 3.9% compared to July 2025 (4.7% for international operations).

Capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTK), increased by 1.7% compared to July 2025 (1.8% for international operations).

According to the data, several factors in the operating environment responsible for the growth:
Global trade increased by 7.5% year-on-year.
Jet fuel prices rose by 12.2% month-on-month in July and were 56.9% higher than a year earlier.

Global manufacturing activity eased slightly in June but remained supportive, while export orders reached their highest level in three months. The Global Manufacturing Output Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) fell 0.3 points to 52.7, while the New Export Orders Index rose to 50.0. Together, these indicators remained broadly supportive of air cargo demand.

July Regional Performance

Asia-Pacific airlines saw a 4.1% year-on-year growth in air cargo demand in July. Capacity increased by 3.0% year-on-year.

North American carriers saw a 4.8% year-on-year increase in air cargo demand in July, the strongest performance of all regions. Capacity decreased by 1.5% year-on-year.

European carriers saw a 4.4% year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo in July. Capacity increased by 1.3% year-on-year.

Middle Eastern carriers saw a 1.7% year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo in July. Capacity increased by 4.0% year-on-year.

Latin American and Caribbean carriers saw a 4.1% year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo in July. Capacity increased by 7.0% year-on-year.

African airlines saw a 1.1% year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo in July, the weakest performance of all regions. Capacity increased by 4.1% year-on-year.

“Air cargo demand grew 3.9% year-on-year in July. While all regions recorded growth, airlines in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America accounted for more than 90% of the overall increase. Dedicated freighters gained market share as belly-hold traffic declined, possibly reflecting demand for larger or specialist shipments and the operational flexibility that freighters can provide. Looking ahead, the outlook remains broadly positive, supported by manufacturing activity, export orders and global trade. However, higher fuel prices, geopolitical tensions and tariff uncertainty will need to be watched carefully,” said Marie Owens Thomsen.