Air cargo traffic grows for 18th consecutive month

Air cargo traffic was up year over year in January, marking eighteen consecutive months of growth. January’s air cargo traffic, measured in cargo tonne kilometers (CTK), grew 3.2% YoY. Traffic on international lanes rose 3.6% compared with January 2024, according to data released today by IATA . Capacity, measured in available CTKs, rose 6.8% YoY and 7.3% YoY for international operations. Despite the continued traffic growth, “the month’s 3.2% year-on-year growth is a moderation from double-digit peaks in 2024,” IATA Director General Willie Walsh said in today’s release. Yields, while up YoY, fell 9.9% from December as cargo load factors dropped by an average of 1.5 percentage points, according to IATA. External factors The release highlighted these operating environment factors: Industrial production rose 2.6% YoY in December and global trade grew for a ninth consecutive month with a 3.3% YoY increase in December, the latest data available. January’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) for global manufacturing output was 50.62, its highest reading since July 2024. A PMI above 50 indicates growth and one below 50 indicates contraction. The PMI for new export orders rose to 49.37. Consumer inflation in the United States and Europe both rose by 0.1 percentage point to 3% and 2.8%, respectively, in January. Chinese consumer inflation rebounded to 0.5% in January, after progressively falling over four months to 0.1% in December. “While external factors such as trade growth, declining fuel costs and expanding e-commerce remain positive for air cargo, it is important to closely watch the evolution of market conditions ,” Walsh said. “In particular, the wild card is the potential for tariff-driven trade policies from the U.S. Trump administration.” [caption id="attachment_57149033" align="aligncenter" width="1311"] (Courtesy/IATA)[/caption] Regional performance Except for the Middle East and Africa, carriers across all regions saw YoY growth in traffic in January. And carriers across all regions except the Middle East saw YoY increases in capacity. By region YoY: Latin American carrier traffic grew 11.2% and capacity grew 10.6%; Asia-Pacific carrier traffic grew 7.5% and capacity grew 10.9%; North American carrier traffic grew 5.3% and capacity grew 7.5%; European carrier traffic grew 1.3% and capacity grew 3.5%; African carrier traffic fell 3.4% and capacity grew 5.4%; and Middle Eastern carrier traffic fell 8.4% and capacity fell 1.2%. Airlines flying international routes continued to benefit in January from rising e-commerce demand in the United States and Europe, as well as capacity constraints in ocean shipping, according to IATA. By trade lane: North America-Europe grew 9.7% YoY, its 12th consecutive month of growth; Intra-Asia grew 7.6% YoY, its 15th consecutive month of growth; Asia-North America grew 6.1% YoY, its 15th consecutive month of growth; Europe-Asia grew 3.2% YoY, its 23rd consecutive month of growth; Middle East-Asia fell 3% YoY, ending a nineteen-month streak of consecutive growth; Middle East-Europe fell 7.3% YoY, ending a seventeen-month streak of consecutive growth; and Africa-Asia fell 26.1% YoY, its second consecutive month of contraction. Register now for Cargo Facts' essential regional events for industry stakeholders: Cargo Facts Asia 2025 on March 24-26 at the W Shanghai in China; and Cargo Facts EMEA 2025 on May 6-8 at the Shangri-La Bosphorus in Turkey.

Air cargo traffic grows for 18th consecutive month

Latin America saw most growth at 11.2%; Middle East fell 8.4%

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