Global air cargo rates rose to US$3.18 per kilogram in the week ending April 12, 2026, the highest level recorded in the current five-week reporting window, as the Middle East conflict continued to suppress capacity and sustain upward pressure on freight costs across the world’s major trade corridors, according to the latest weekly data from WorldACD Market Data.
The figure represents a 24 percent increase compared to the US$2.51 per kilogram recorded in the same week last year and marks a continued climb from the US$2.66 per kilogram posted in the week of March 9 to 15. Worldwide rates have now risen in each of the five consecutive weeks captured in the report, advancing steadily as the conflict’s impact on Gulf aviation infrastructure persists.
On a two-week-on-two-week basis, worldwide chargeable weight fell 6 percent compared with the preceding two weeks, while rates climbed 9 percent over the same comparison, indicating that prices are rising even as volumes soften, a signal of severe capacity constraints rather than a demand-driven rate surge.
Five weeks into the conflict, air cargo capacity in the Middle East region remains around 30 percent below pre-conflict levels, with the disruption directly affecting fuel costs, routing, and aviation network structure rather than simply diverting volumes from one mode to another.
The Middle East and South Asia origin region recorded the sharpest year-on-year rate increase of any major corridor at 63 percent, even as capacity in that region expanded 5 percent on a two-week basis. Africa-origin rates posted a 28 percent year-on-year gain, while chargeable weight from Africa fell 10 percent year on year, continuing the trend of prices rising as volumes tighten.
Countries especially dependent on Gulf jet fuel, including several in Asia and Europe, have begun taking steps to conserve supplies, with some carriers reducing flights and others rerouting to avoid fuel-intensive paths through conflict-affected airspace.
The disruption has pushed spot market activity sharply higher, with 52 percent of global air cargo volumes shipping under spot rates in March, approaching levels seen at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Shippers have shifted toward shorter three-month contract agreements, reflecting deep uncertainty in long-term pricing.
The WorldACD data is drawn from more than 500,000 transactions per week. For Ghana’s exporters and importers relying on air freight connections through Gulf hubs for pharmaceutical imports, perishable exports, and time-sensitive cargo, elevated rate conditions are feeding directly into landed costs and export margins.
