Global air cargo demand declined by 0.1 percent in February

April 3, 2025

According to data for February released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) global air cargo total demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTK), declined by 0.1% compared to February 2024 levels (+0.4% for international operations). This marks the first decline since mid-2023.

Capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTK), decreased by 0.4% compared to February 2024 (+1.1% for international operations).

The Trans-Pacific corridor remained the busiest trade lane in February. Intra-Asia led growth, becoming the fifth busiest. EuropeAsia and Transatlantic routes also expanded, while Middle EastAsia and European routes declined.

Asia-Pacific airlines saw 5.1% year-on-year demand growth for air cargo in February. Capacity increased by 2.7% year-on-year.

North American carriers saw a 0.4% year-on-year air cargo decrease in February while European carriers saw a 0.1% decrease.

Middle Eastern carriers saw an 11.9% air cargo decrease in February, the slowest among the regions and African airlines had a 5.7% year-on-year decrease

Latin American carriers saw 6.0% year-on-year demand growth for air cargo in February, the strongest growth among the regions.

Source: IATA