Translations: Hausse de 4,4 % du fret aérien en mars (pdf)
Demanda por carga aérea cresce 4,4% em março (pdf)
Geneva – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for March 2025 global air cargo markets showing:
“March cargo volumes were strong. It is possible that this is partly a front-loading of demand as some businesses tried to beat the well-telegraphed 2 April tariff announcement by the Trump Administration. The uncertainty over how much of the 2 April proposals will be implemented may eventually weigh on trade. In the meantime, the lower fuel costs—which are also a result of the same uncertainty—are a short-term positive factor for air cargo. And, within the temporary pause on implementation we hope that political leaders will be able to shift trade tensions to reliable agreements that can restore confidence in global supply chains,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
Several factors in the operating environment should be noted:
| March 2025 (%year-on-year) | World Share *1 | CTK | ACTK | CLF (%-pt) *2 | CLF (level) *3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Market | 100% | 4.4% | 4.3% | 0.0% | 47.5% |
| Africa | 2.0% | -13.4% | 10.8% | -10.4% | 37.1% |
| Asia Pacific | 34.2% | 9.3% | 7.6% | 0.8% | 48.6% |
| Europe | 21.5% | 4.4% | 2.8% | 0.9% | 59.6% |
| Latin America | 2.9% | 5.6% | 5.2% | 0.1% | 39.5% |
| Middle East | 13.6% | -3.3% | 0.9% | -2.0% | 47.6% |
| North America | 25.8% | 3.7% | 2.6% | 0.5% | 40.7% |
(*1) % of industry CTKs in 2024 (*2) Year-on-year change in load factor (*3) Load factor level
Asia-Pacific airlines saw 9.6% year-on-year demand growth for air cargo in March, the strongest growth among the regions. Capacity increased by 11.3% year-on-year.
North American carriers saw a 9.5% year-on-year increase in demand growth for air cargo in March. Capacity increased by 6.1% year-on-year.
European carriers saw a 4.5% year-on-year increase in demand growth for air cargo in March. Capacity increased 2.0% year-on-year.
Middle Eastern carriers saw a -3.2% year-on-year decrease in demand growth for air cargo in March. Capacity increased by 0.8% year-on-year. It’s possible the weakness in this market is due to year-on-year comparison with the strong growth at the start of 2024 resulting from disruption to Red Sea maritime freight.
Latin American carriers saw 5.8% year-on-year demand growth for air cargo in March. Capacity increased 4.7% year-on-year.
African airlines saw a -13.4% year-on-year decrease in demand for air cargo in March, the slowest among the regions. Capacity increased by 10.5% year-on-year.
Trade Lane Growth: The Europe-North America route was the busiest trade lane in March. The largest trade lane by market share, Asia-North America, also grew strongly, possibly encouraged by front-loading shipments ahead of potential increased tariffs. Europe-Middle East and Africa-Asia were the only trade lanes to decline in March.
| Trade Lane | YoY growth | Notes | Market share of industry* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asia-North America | +7.3% | This route has resumed growth after a revised fall of 0.5% in February | 24.4% |
| Europe-Asia | +8.3% | 25 consecutive months of growth | 20.5% |
| Europe-Middle East | -7.5% | 5.7% | |
| Middle East-Asia | +2.9% | 7.3% | |
| Within Asia | +5.5% | 17 consecutive months of growth | 7.0% |
| Europe-North America | +8.5% | 14 consecutive months of growth | 13.3% |
| Africa-Asia | -40.2% | 4 consecutive months of decline | 1.4% |
| Within Europe | -5.2% | 2.0% |
*Share is based on full-year 2024 CTKs.
> View March 2025 Air Cargo Market Analysis (pdf)
For more information, please contact:
Corporate Communications
Tel: +41 22 770 2967
Email: [email protected]
Notes for Editors:
Boutique Travel VC raises investment cap from $1.5M to $10M to lead rounds and support portfolio companies through growth Travel...
Read moreDetails
Comprehensive Summarization: The article reports on the recent US-Iran ceasefire, which is contributing to a rebound in global tourism. This...
Read moreDetails
