Airfreight - strongest surge for almost 18 months
Published September 7, 2016
The International Air Transport Association (Iata) released data for global airfreight markets in July 2016, showing robust growth in demand. Measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTKs), demand increased by 5% in the month under review, compared to July 2015. The upsurge was the strongest since February 2015.
Despite the subdued global trade backdrop, carriers in the world's four biggest air cargo markets – Asia-Pacific (market share of 38.9%), Europe (22.3%), North America (20.5%) and the Middle East (14%) - reported an increase in freight demand. The strongest growth occurred in Europe (+7.2%) and the Middle East (+6.7%).
"July was a positive month for airfreight - which is an all too rare occurrence. Despite that, we must recognize that we face some strong headwinds on fundamental aspects of the business. Global trade growth is sluggish and business confidence is weak. And the political rhetoric on both sides of the Atlantic is not encouraging for further trade liberalization," said Alexandre de Juniac, Iata's new director general and CEO.
