- Global air cargo demand rose 7.7pc year-on-year in September 2026.
- Capacity increased 2.7pc year-on-year.
- North American carriers recorded the strongest regional growth at 11.8pc.
- The Asia-North America trade lane grew 17.0pc.
- Jet fuel prices were 103.4pc higher than a year earlier.
IATA has released data showing total demand measured in cargo tonne-kilometres increased by 7.7pc compared with September 2025. Capacity measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres increased by 2.7pc. Growth occurred across all regions.
Asia-Pacific airlines saw an 8.6pc year-on-year growth in demand while capacity increased 4.9pc. North American carriers saw an 11.8pc increase in demand, the strongest performance of all regions, while capacity increased 0.8pc. European carriers saw a 4.5pc increase in demand while capacity decreased 1.6pc. Middle Eastern carriers recorded 3.8pc growth, the weakest of all regions, while capacity increased 7.0pc.
The Asia-North America trade lane recorded the strongest growth at 17.0pc, marking eight consecutive months of growth. Within Asia trade grew 10.2pc across 35 consecutive months. Europe-Asia recorded 6.0pc growth across 43 consecutive months. Middle East-linked corridors remained under pressure with traffic declining 18.0pc on Europe-Middle East and 10.2pc on Middle East-Asia routes. Global trade increased by 3.6pc year-on-year in August, extending the run of consecutive monthly expansions to 42 months.
Marie Owens Thomsen shared “Air cargo demand rose 7.7% year-on-year in September, with growth across all regions. Stronger global trade and manufacturing provided a supportive backdrop, while AI-related shipments helped drive another month of double-digit growth across the Pacific.”
