African airlines post 13.3% cargo demand growth in May – IATA

African airlines recorded the strongest air cargo demand growth among all global regions in May 2026, with cargo traffic rising by 13.3% year-on-year.

This is according to the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) latest report on global air cargo markets for May 2026.

The performance came as global air cargo demand increased by 6.0% during the month, supported by stronger trade and manufacturing activity despite persistent geopolitical and economic uncertainties.

What the report is saying

According to IATA, African carriers led global air cargo growth in May, posting a 13.3% year-on-year increase in demand. The association also reported that cargo capacity for African airlines rose by just 1.3% over the same period.

• “African airlines saw a 13.3% year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo in May, the strongest performance of all regions. Capacity increased by 1.3% year-on-year,” the report read in part.

Globally, total air cargo demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTK), rose by 6.0% compared with May 2025, while international cargo demand increased by 6.5%. Capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres (ACTK), grew by 1.9% globally and 2.8% for international operations.

IATA said resilient demand across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America supported overall market performance.

In contrast, Middle Eastern carriers remained under pressure, with cargo demand contracting by 8.9% year-on-year as conflict continued to disrupt cargo operations and trade flows.

More insights

IATA said improving macroeconomic conditions continued to support the global air cargo market in May. Global trade expanded by 5.0% year-on-year, marking the 25th consecutive month of annual growth. Manufacturing activity also remained in expansion territory.

However, export demand remained subdued. The Global Manufacturing Output Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rose to 53.5 in May.

Meanwhile, the New Export Orders Index remained below the 50-point threshold at 49.6. This suggests air cargo growth was driven by selected trade corridors rather than broad-based growth in global exports.

Jet fuel prices declined by 16.3% month-on-month in May, easing some cost pressures for airlines. However, prices remained 93.5% higher than the same period last year.

Regional performance in May

North American carriers recorded the second-fastest cargo demand growth in May, while Asia-Pacific and European airlines also posted strong performances. The Middle East was the only region to record a decline.

• North American carriers recorded a 10.5% year-on-year increase in cargo demand.
• Asia-Pacific airlines posted growth of 8.0%, while European carriers recorded a 6.7% increase.
• Latin American and Caribbean airlines reported a modest 1.9% rise in cargo demand.
• Middle Eastern carriers recorded an 8.9% decline in cargo demand, while capacity fell by 9.2% as conflict-related disruptions continued to affect operations.

Across major trade routes, Asia–North America recorded the strongest cargo growth in May, followed by Africa–Asia, intra-Europe and Europe–Asia. Gulf-linked trade corridors, however, remained significantly disrupted by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

What you should know

African airlines have consistently outperformed all other global regions in air cargo demand throughout 2026, with the strong May performance extending a sustained growth streak driven by rising trade volumes and robust demand along the Africa–Asia corridor.

• Cargo demand increased by 7.7% in April after rising 7.0% in March, despite a contraction in global demand during the latter month.
• Earlier in the year, African carriers recorded cargo demand growth of 21% in February and 18.2% in January, largely supported by strong Africa–Asia trade flows.
• The momentum began building in late 2025, when African airlines recorded double-digit cargo demand growth in both November and December.

In December 2025, cargo demand increased by 10.1% alongside a 9.8% rise in capacity. A month earlier, cargo volumes had grown by 15.6%, while capacity expanded by 18.1%.