African airlines lead global air cargo growth with 13.3% surge in May

…as tight capacity drives yield growth

African airlines have emerged as the undisputed engine of global air cargo growth, posting a staggering 13.3 percent year-on-year increase in freight demand for May 2026.

Data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) confirms that Africa recorded the strongest performance of any continent, vastly outperforming the global average demand growth of 6.0 percent.

Even more significant for African carriers is their strict capacity discipline. While demand skyrocketed by double digits, available cargo capacity (ACTK) on the continent ticked up by a mere 1.3 percent.

This gap between booming freight volumes and conservative capacity growth has dramatically tightened the regional market, driving up load factors and boosting profitability for African operators.

A major driver behind this historic surge is the rapidly expanding Africa-Asia trade lane, which saw freight volumes jump 14.1 percent year-on-year, highlighting deepening commercial and logistics ties between the two regions.

Globally, total air cargo demand increased by 6.0 percent compared to May 2025 (6.5 percent for international operations). According to IATA, airlines are using robust load factors and higher cargo yields to successfully offset high operational expenses.

“May’s strong performance coupled with macroeconomic factors give cautious optimism for air cargo’s prospects over the remainder of the year,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

“Airlines have adapted operations to align with shifting demand patterns and supply chain needs. Meanwhile, yield growth and higher load factors are helping to recoup higher fuel costs.”

However, IATA’s underlying data suggests this expansion is highly concentrated in specific regional trade corridors—like those connected to Africa and Asia—rather than a uniform, global export boom. While global trade rose 5 percent (marking 25 consecutive months of annual growth) and global manufacturing output remained supportive at 53.5, the New Export Orders Index slipped below the expansionary threshold to 49.6.

Additionally, jet fuel prices provided brief breathing room for operators by dropping 16.3 percent month-on-month in May, though they remain a steep 93.5% higher than year-earlier levels.
While Africa stole the spotlight, performance across other global regions diverged heavily, punctuated by strong trans-Pacific growth and a sharp, war-related downturn in the Middle East

North America (+10.5 percent): Carriers saw the second-highest demand growth globally, fueled heavily by a massive 19.9 percent surge on the Asia-North America trade lane. Capacity increased by 2.4 percent.

Asia-Pacific (+8.0 percent): Airlines here remain the main volume drivers of the industry. Capacity increased by 5.1 percent as regional trade remained highly resilient.

Europe (+6.7 percent): European carriers enjoyed steady growth, bolstered significantly by an 11.5 percent spike in intra-European cargo traffic. Capacity grew by 2.2 percent.

Latin America & Caribbean (+1.9 percent): Carriers saw a modest bump in demand, making it the only expanding region where capacity additions (+5.6 percent) actually outpaced market demand.

Middle East (-8.9 percent): The weakest global performer by a wide margin. Ongoing conflict and airspace restrictions severely disrupted Gulf-linked corridors, causing a 9.2 percent drop in capacity and forcing drops on traditional transit routes like Europe-Middle East (-19.8 percent).