Ankara: Global air cargo demand rose 6% year-on-year in May, supported by strong growth in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Monday. Total demand, measured in cargo ton-kilometers, or CTK, increased 6% compared with May 2025, while international operations posted a 6.5% rise, according to IATA data. Capacity, measured in available cargo ton-kilometers, or ACTK, rose 1.9% globally and 2.8% for international operations.

According to Anadolu Agency, IATA Director General Willie Walsh stated that air cargo demand grew 6% year-on-year in May, with Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North American regions all reporting above-trend growth. He noted that Middle Eastern carriers reported a combined contraction of 8.9% year-on-year due to ongoing war-related impacts. Despite this, Walsh expressed cautious optimism for air cargo's prospects for the remainder of the year, citing strong macro-economic factors.

Walsh highlighted that trade and manufacturing output continued to grow, with airlines adapting their operations to shifting demand patterns and supply chain needs. By region, African airlines posted the strongest annual growth in May, with demand up 13.3%, while capacity increased 1.3%. North American carriers saw air cargo demand rise 10.5%, with capacity up 2.4%. Asia-Pacific airlines recorded 8% demand growth and a 5.1% increase in capacity. European carriers reported a 6.7% rise in demand, while capacity increased 2.2%.

Latin American and Caribbean carriers posted a 1.9% increase in demand, although capacity rose faster at 5.6%. Middle Eastern carriers recorded the weakest regional performance, with demand falling 8.9% and capacity declining 9.2%. IATA reported that global trade rose 5% year-on-year, extending 25 months of consecutive annual growth.

Jet fuel prices fell 16.3% month-on-month in May but remained 93.5% above year-earlier levels. The global manufacturing output purchasing managers' index rose to 53.5 in May, while the new export orders index stayed below the 50-point threshold at 49.6, indicating air cargo growth was driven by selected trade flows rather than a broad-based recovery in global exports. Among major trade lanes, Asia-North America led growth with a 19.9% annual increase, followed by Africa-Asia with 14.1%, intra-Europe with 11.5%, and Europe-Asia with 10%.

Gulf-linked corridors remained under pressure, with Europe-Middle East traffic down 19.8% and Middle East-Asia traffic falling 16.5%.