- African airlines recorded a 4.7% year-on-year increase in air cargo demand in September 2026, while available capacity declined by 1.2%, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
- Global air cargo demand rose 7.7% during the month, supported by stronger international trade, manufacturing activity and shipments linked to artificial intelligence.
- Rising operating costs threaten airline profitability, as jet fuel prices more than doubled year-on-year while cargo yields failed to keep pace, according to IATA.
African airlines recorded a 4.7% year-on-year increase in air cargo demand in September 2026, while available cargo capacity declined by 1.2%, according to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Trade between Africa and Asia helped support this growth, with cargo demand on the route increasing by 2.6% during the month.
September’s performance extended the positive demand trend of the previous two months, although capacity growth varied significantly. In July, African airlines recorded a 1.1% year-on-year increase in cargo demand, alongside a 4.1% rise in capacity. Demand growth accelerated to 3% in August, while available capacity surged by 14%.
Across other regions, North American and Asia-Pacific airlines recorded the strongest demand growth in September, at 11.8% and 8.6%, respectively. Latin America and the Caribbean followed with a 6.7% increase, ahead of Europe at 4.5% and the Middle East at 3.8%.
Global Trade Supports Air Cargo Demand
Global air cargo demand increased by 7.7% year-on-year in September 2026, while international operations recorded an 8.6% rise. Meanwhile, available cargo capacity expanded by 2.7% globally and 3.3% on international routes. According to IATA, stronger global trade and manufacturing activity helped sustain demand for air freight services. Global merchandise trade grew by 3.6% year-on-year in August, extending its run of annual growth to 42 consecutive months. Manufacturing activity also increased worldwide, supporting higher volumes of goods transported by air.
“Stronger global trade and manufacturing provided a supportive backdrop, while AI-related shipments helped drive another month of double-digit growth across the Pacific. The challenge is cost. Jet fuel prices have more than doubled compared with a year earlier, and yields have not kept pace. There is no shortage of goods to ship, but transporting them profitably amid persistently high fuel prices has become more difficult,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Sustainability and Chief Economist.
Growth Prospects Remain Clouded by Rising Costs
In its June 2026 outlook, IATA lowered its forecast for global air cargo demand growth to 0.7% for the full year. The projection follows a strong recovery in 2024, when global air cargo demand increased by 11.3%. African airlines recorded 8.5% demand growth during that year.
For African carriers, the main challenge now lies in translating rising cargo volumes into stronger profitability. Higher jet fuel prices, capacity constraints across different routes and imbalances in trade flows continue to pressure airline margins. Sustaining demand growth will also depend on African carriers’ ability to capture a greater share of cargo flows between the continent and major international markets.
