News
Global air cargo traffic improves despite weakness in key trade lane
July 2nd 2025
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said global air cargo demand has risen 2%, but noted a 10.7% decline in demand on the key Asia-North America trading route. Read More » The airline lobby group said the monthly cargo data revealed the weakening of world trade in response to the U.S. government’s increase in tariffs and broader trade policy had been "less dramatic" than feared by many. Nonetheless, the tariffs had disrupted established air cargo flows and forced carriers to adjust or redeploy capacity on certain routes. Uncertainty remained high, IATA said. "Even as these policies evolve, already we can see the air cargo sector’s well-tested resilience helping shippers to accommodate supply chain needs to flexibly hold back, re-route or accelerate deliveries," IATA director general, Willie Walsh, said. The Asia-Pacific delivered the highest growth worldwide, at 8.3%, in cargo tonne kilometres (CTK). North America was the worst performing region of the six global zones IATA monitors, with a 5.8% reduction in CTKs.
