Global air cargo rates climbed to $2.98 per kilogram in the week of March 23 to 29, 2026, their highest level in the current five-week reporting window and within striking distance of the $3 mark, as the Middle East conflict continued to compress capacity and drive up freight costs across the world’s major trade corridors, according to the latest market data from WorldACD Market Data.
The figure, published on April 2 and covering Week 13 of 2026, represents a 5 percent gain over the preceding week and marks a continuous upward climb from the $2.24 per kilogram recorded in the week of February 23 to March 1, immediately after the outbreak of the United States-Israel-Iran conflict. Rates have now risen 19 percent from that conflict-shock trough and stand 19 percent above the $2.50 per kilogram recorded in the same week last year.
On a two-week-on-two-week (2Wo2W) basis, worldwide rates rose 14 percent and chargeable weight gained 2 percent, while capacity edged up 7 percent, suggesting that modest supply-side recovery has not been sufficient to contain pricing pressure. Year on year, worldwide rates are 17 percent above their equivalent levels in 2025, while global chargeable weight remains 6 percent lower than a year ago, reflecting the sustained disruption to high-capacity Gulf hub operations since late February.
The Middle East and South Asia (MESA) corridor continues to record the most extreme movements. MESA rates are 67 percent above their year-ago levels on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, and capacity from the region remains 33 percent below the preceding two-week period, underscoring that Gulf aviation infrastructure has yet to return to pre-war operational norms. Chargeable weight from MESA is running 21 percent below YoY levels, a sharp deterioration from the partial recovery seen in Weeks 11 and 12.
Europe-origin routes recorded the strongest rate performance in the latest data, posting 27 percent YoY gains, as rerouting demand and elevated jet fuel costs continue to lift pricing on corridors that are absorbing cargo diverted from disrupted Gulf connections. Asia Pacific rates were 11 percent above year-ago levels on a YoY basis, with chargeable weight from the region up 16 percent over the same comparison, reflecting continued post-Lunar New Year demand momentum combined with the pressure on Asia-Europe lanes caused by Gulf airspace restrictions.
Africa-origin routes recorded a 21 percent YoY rate increase, with chargeable weight down 18 percent on the same comparison. The data continues to reflect the exposure of African export corridors to Gulf hub disruption, particularly for east African perishable and commodity flows that historically rely on connections through Dubai and Doha.
North America posted a 10 percent YoY rate gain, with chargeable weight up 10 percent on the same basis, making it the most stable major origin region in the current environment.
WorldACD bases its trends on more than 500,000 transactions per week. The data covers origin regions globally and is drawn from airlines, freight forwarders, shippers and airports.
