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International Air Transport Association data shows total air cargo demand grew 4.4% year-on-year in August 2026, while capacity shrank 0.1%
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All regions posted growth, with North America leading at 6.6% and the Middle East trailing at 1.0%
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Asia-North America was the strongest-growing trade lane, up 13.2% year-on-year for a seventh straight month
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Jet fuel prices climbed 79.2% year-on-year, even as rising yields helped airlines recoup some of the cost
Global air cargo demand rose 4.4% year-on-year in August 2026, with all regions reporting growth even as overall capacity was trimmed by 0.1%, according to data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in a media statement.
International operations performed even better, with demand up 5.3% year-on-year while international capacity edged up 0.1%.
“Air cargo demand rose 4.4% year-on-year in August with all regions reporting growth even as capacity was trimmed by 0.1%,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist, in the statement. She said strong demand and higher load factors helped airlines recoup some of the exceptionally high fuel costs, and noted that yields rose month-on-month for the first time since April — a sign IATA considers positive as the year-end peak season approaches, alongside continued growth in global goods trade.
Regional performance
North American carriers posted the strongest year-on-year demand growth among all regions at 6.6%, even as their capacity fell 2.5%. Asia-Pacific airlines saw demand rise 4.3% with capacity up 1.2%, while European carriers grew 4.1% on a 3.5% capacity contraction. Latin America and the Caribbean posted 5.1% growth, and African airlines grew 3.0% amid a sharp 14.0% capacity increase. Middle Eastern carriers recorded the weakest growth of any region at 1.0%, with capacity up 3.3%.
Trade lanes diverge
Performance varied widely across major trade lanes. Asia-North America led with 13.2% year-on-year growth, marking its seventh consecutive month of expansion and accounting for 23.5% of industry cargo tonne-kilometers (CTK). Within-Asia traffic grew 6.1%, extending a 34-month growth streak, while Europe-North America rose 4.3% and Europe-Asia grew 3.1%, continuing a run of 42 consecutive months of growth.
Gulf-linked corridors told a different story. Middle East-Asia traffic fell 11.0% year-on-year for a sixth straight month of contraction, Europe-Middle East dropped 12.1%, and Africa-Asia contracted 11.9% — disruptions IATA attributed to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Cost pressures persist
Jet fuel prices rose 8.3% month-on-month in August and were 79.2% higher than a year earlier, according to IATA.
Global manufacturing activity nonetheless expanded during the month, with the Global Manufacturing Output Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rising 0.3 points to 53.0 and the New Export Orders Index up 1.4 points to 51.4 — both indicators IATA said remain supportive of air cargo demand.
Global trade grew 6.0% year-on-year in July, marking 33 consecutive months of year-on-year expansion.
