New data from IATA for August 2026 global air cargo markets shows:
- Total demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTK), increased by 4.4% compared to August 2025 (+5.3% for international operations).
- Capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTK), decreased by 0.1% compared to August 2025 (+0.1% for international operations).
Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist:
“Air cargo demand rose 4.4% year-on-year in August with all regions reporting growth even as capacity was trimmed by 0.1%. Strong demand and higher load factors helped airlines to recoup some of the exceptionally high fuel costs.”
Several factors in the operating environment should be noted:
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- Global trade increased by 6.0% year-on-year in July, extending the run of consecutive monthly expansions to 33 months, on a year-on-year basis.
- Jet fuel prices rose by 8.3% month-on-month in August and were 79.2% higher than a year earlier.
- Global manufacturing activity increased in August. The Global Manufacturing Output Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) increased 0.3 points to 53.0, while the New Export Orders Index rose 1.4 points to 51.4. Both indicators remained supportive of air cargo demand.
