IATA: traffic, capacity grow YoY in September

Total air cargo traffic grew 7.7% year over year in September, supported by strong global trade, especially of AI-related shipments, according to IATA’s September traffic and capacity report. All regions measured in the report saw YoY traffic increases, with growth in North America the biggest, at 11.8%. The Middle East saw the smallest traffic growth at 3.8%. Stronger global trade and manufacturing provided a supportive backdrop for air cargo traffic in September, while AI-related shipments helped drive another month of double-digit growth across the Pacific, Marie Owens Thomsen, senior vice president of sustainability and chief economist at IATA, said in the report. Meanwhile, capacity, as measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTK), grew in every region except Africa and Europe, where it contracted by 1.2% and 1.6%, respectively. More broadly, international traffic, as measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTK), grew 8.6% YoY in September, while international capacity grew 3.3% YoY for the same period. [caption id="attachment_57299737" align="aligncenter" width="879"] (Courtesy/IATA)[/caption] Trade lane performance Trade lane performance was divided in September. Middle East-linked lanes continued to see contraction. [caption id="attachment_57299738" align="aligncenter" width="624"] (Courtesy/IATA)[/caption] Growth on Africa-Asia lanes followed three consecutive months of contraction . Ethiopian Airlines was by far the largest freighter operator on the Africa-Asia lane in September, accounting for approximately 3,100 tonnes of capacity, according to data from Cargo Facts Consulting (CFC). Boeing’s production 777 freighter was the most used freighter type on the lane across carriers, according to the CFC data set. Tonnage carried on freighter aircraft from Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) to Asia-Pacific destinations grew exponentially YoY in September. Destinations include Taipei, Taiwan (TPE), at 296%; Chengdu, China (TFU), at 600%; and Chennai, India (MAA), at 1,464%, according to data from consultancy Rotate. The ADD-TPE route was the heaviest, with about 2,700 tonnes moving along it in September, according to that data. Jet fuel price Jet fuel prices have more than doubled compared with a year ago, and yields have not kept pace, according to IATA’s Thomsen. “There is no shortage of goods to ship, but doing that profitably in the face of persistently high fuel prices has become more challenging,” she said. Jet fuel prices showed no sign of significant decline in October, according to IATA’s Jet Fuel Price Monitor, updated Nov. 2. While the global average price of jet fuel fell 2.6% to $191.54 per barrel for the week ending Oct. 30, it remained 112.8% above the 2025 average. The price was highest in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States at $202.53 per barrel, followed by Africa at $197.93 per barrel. Meanwhile, prices were lowest in the Middle East, at $164.39 per barrel, followed by Asia and Oceania at $173.73 per barrel. Cargo Facts LATAM 2027, the essential event for stakeholders in Latin America, will take place Feb. 10-12 at the Marquis Reforma in Mexico City. Learn more and register by Jan. 8 to take advantage of early-bird pricing.

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