African airlines recorded a 7.7% rise in air cargo demand in April 2026, outpacing the global average and making the continent one of the strongest performing regions worldwide, according to new data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Global air cargo demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTK), grew 4.0% year on year in April, while capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres (ACTK), shrank by 0.4%. Africa outperformed that global figure on demand despite its own capacity falling 9.4% over the same period, a gap that points to rising pressure on freight space across the continent.
The Africa-Asia trade lane grew 12.8% in April, extending a run of growth to ten consecutive months and confirming deepening trade ties between the two regions. Europe-Asia posted the strongest trade lane performance of any corridor at 16.2% growth for a 38th consecutive month, while Asia-North America advanced 8.3%.
Middle Eastern carriers suffered the sharpest decline of any region, with demand falling 18.2% and capacity collapsing 22.9% as the ongoing conflict severely disrupted operations at major Gulf hubs. That disruption reshaped global routing, forcing freight onto alternative corridors and contributing to the capacity tightening seen across other regions including Africa.
IATA Director General Willie Walsh said: “Air cargo demand grew 4% year-on-year in April, driven by strong Asia-linked trade flows.”
He cautioned that the positive headline figure concealed a complex operating environment, noting that dedicated freighters were carrying much of the growth as geopolitical disruption and elevated costs weigh on the sector.
Jet fuel prices surged 121.1% year on year in April alongside a 77.7% rise in crude oil prices, raising operating costs sharply for carriers worldwide. Global manufacturing sentiment remained supportive, with the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rising 1.9 points to 53.4 in April, keeping conditions above the 50-point expansion threshold that historically supports air cargo activity.
Asia-Pacific airlines led all regions with 10.5% demand growth. European carriers gained 6.0% and North American carriers 5.0%. Latin American and Caribbean carriers recorded a 2.8% decline.
