African airlines emerged as the second-strongest performers in the global air cargo market during July 2025, recording an impressive 9.4% year-on-year increase in demand despite operating with virtually unchanged capacity levels that decreased by just 0.1%. This remarkable performance highlights the continent’s growing importance in international trade networks and underscores the efficiency gains African carriers are achieving through optimized operations.
The strong showing by African carriers comes as part of a broader global air cargo recovery, with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reporting that worldwide cargo demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTK), rose by 5.5% compared to July 2024 levels. International operations specifically grew by 6.0%, while global capacity increased by 3.9% year-on-year.
Only Asia-Pacific airlines outperformed African carriers, achieving an 11.1% growth in air cargo demand alongside a 7.3% capacity increase. This regional leadership demonstrates how carriers in developing markets are capitalizing on robust economic activity and trade expansion to drive cargo performance beyond pre-pandemic levels.
The African aviation sector’s ability to generate significant demand growth while maintaining stable capacity reflects strategic operational improvements and increased route efficiency. This performance contrasts sharply with other regions that required substantial capacity additions to achieve growth, suggesting African airlines are maximizing utilization rates and operational productivity.
European carriers recorded a 4.1% demand increase with 4.0% capacity growth, while Middle Eastern airlines saw 2.6% demand growth despite a 5.9% capacity expansion. Latin American carriers registered 2.4% demand growth with 3.8% additional capacity. North American carriers posted the weakest performance among all regions, managing only 0.7% demand growth while actually reducing capacity by 0.6%.
IATA Director General Willie Walsh noted that most major trade lanes reported growth, with the significant exception of the Asia-North America corridor, which declined 1.0% year-on-year. This decline was attributed to a sharp reduction in e-commerce shipments following the expiration of US de minimis exemptions on small packages, though this impact was partially offset by companies frontloading goods ahead of anticipated tariff increases.
The Europe-Asia trade lane, which handles one-fifth of global air cargo, continued its exceptional performance with 13.5% year-on-year growth in July, marking 29 consecutive months of expansion. This sustained growth reflects the resilience of trade relationships between these major economic regions despite global economic uncertainties.
Several macroeconomic factors influenced the July cargo performance across all regions. Global goods trade expanded by 3.1% year-on-year in June, providing a supportive foundation for air cargo demand. Jet fuel prices offered some relief to airlines, dropping 9.1% compared to July 2024 levels and remaining below 2024 benchmarks throughout the year, though prices increased 4.3% from June to July.
However, global manufacturing conditions presented challenges, with the Purchasing Managers’ Index falling to 49.66 in July, marking the second decline below the 50-point growth threshold since January. New export orders remained in negative territory at 48.2 for the fourth consecutive month, reflecting diminished confidence amid uncertainty surrounding US trade policy developments.
The air freight sector demonstrated resilience across most major trade corridors during July, with significant volume increases recorded on nearly all routes. Only the Middle East-Europe corridor managed marginal growth, while the Asia-North America route experienced its third consecutive month of decline, highlighting the impact of changing trade dynamics and policy adjustments.
Walsh emphasized that while attention focuses understandably on US market developments, the global air cargo network’s diversity provides stability and growth opportunities across multiple regions. The strong performance of African and Asia-Pacific carriers illustrates how emerging markets are becoming increasingly important drivers of international air cargo growth.
August data will likely provide clearer insights into how shifting US trade policies affect global cargo flows, but July’s results demonstrate the air cargo industry’s overall resilience and the particular strength of airlines operating in high-growth regions like Africa and Asia-Pacific. The continued expansion suggests that air cargo demand remains robust despite manufacturing headwinds and trade policy uncertainties.
