The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its global air cargo market data for September 2026. According to the report, global air cargo demand increased by 7.7% compared with the same month last year, while demand for international operations rose by 8.6%. Global air cargo capacity increased by 2.7% during the same period.
Regional data showed that North America recorded the strongest demand growth at 11.8%, followed by Asia-Pacific at 8.6%, Latin America and the Caribbean at 6.7%, Africa at 4.7%, Europe at 4.5% and the Middle East at 3.8%.
The Asia–North America trade lane recorded the strongest growth in air cargo traffic, increasing by 17%. Intra-Asia traffic grew by 10.2%, while the Europe–North America corridor expanded by 9.3%. In contrast, traffic declined by 18% on the Europe–Middle East route and by 10.2% on the Middle East–Asia corridor.
IATA noted that stronger global trade and manufacturing activity supported air cargo demand. However, jet fuel prices increased by 103.4% year-on-year in September, placing additional pressure on airlines’ operating costs.
Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Sustainability and Chief Economist, said shipments related to artificial intelligence technologies contributed to growth, particularly across the Pacific. She also highlighted that persistently high fuel prices are making it increasingly difficult for air cargo operators to maintain profitability.
