The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its global air cargo market data for July 2026. Global air cargo demand increased by 3.9% compared with the same month last year, while international operations recorded growth of 4.7%. Global cargo capacity increased by 1.7%.
Regional data showed that North American carriers recorded the strongest demand growth at 4.8%. Demand increased by 4.4% in Europe, 4.1% in Asia-Pacific, 4.1% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 1.7% in the Middle East and 1.1% in Africa. Airlines in Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America accounted for more than 90% of the overall global increase.
Among major trade lanes, Asia–North America recorded the strongest performance with growth of 9.2%. Europe–Asia traffic increased by 3.1%, while Europe–North America rose by 2.1%. In contrast, Gulf-related routes continued to contract amid conflicts in the Middle East. Cargo traffic on the Europe–Middle East corridor fell by 16.1%, while Middle East–Asia declined by 14.1%.
IATA also reported that global trade increased by 7.5% year-on-year, while export orders reached their highest level in three months. However, jet fuel prices rose by 12.2% month-on-month and 56.9% year-on-year in July, while geopolitical tensions and uncertainty surrounding tariffs remain key factors for the air cargo industry.
