Global air cargo demand increased by 4.4% year on year in August 2026, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). International demand grew by 5.3%, while total cargo capacity edged down by 0.1%. The combination lifted the global cargo load factor by two percentage points to 46.0%.
North American airlines recorded the strongest regional demand growth, at 6.6%, despite a 2.5% reduction in capacity. Demand rose by 4.3% for Asia-Pacific carriers and 4.1% for European carriers. Europe’s capacity fell by 3.5%, pushing its cargo load factor up by 3.9 percentage points to 53.0%.
Traffic varied sharply between major routes. Cargo volumes on the Asia–North America corridor climbed 13.2%, while traffic within Asia rose 6.1%. By contrast, Europe–Middle East volumes fell 12.1% and Middle East–Asia traffic declined 11.0%, amid continuing disruption linked to the conflict in the region.
IATA said stronger demand and higher load factors helped airlines offset some of the pressure from jet fuel prices, which were 79.2% higher than a year earlier. Cargo yields rose month on month for the first time since April, offering a more encouraging signal ahead of the year-end peak season.
This post was published on 29 September 2026 16:21
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