African air cargo demand climbs 4.7% despite capacity crunch
African airlines recorded a 4.7% year-on-year increase in air cargo demand during June 2026, extending the continent’s positive momentum even as available cargo capacity contracted by 7.1%, according to the latest figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The figures underscore the resilience of Africa’s air freight sector amid growing international trade flows... The post African air cargo demand climbs 4.7% despite capacity crunch appeared first on New Era .
African airlines recorded a 4.7% year-on-year increase in air cargo demand during June 2026, extending the continent’s positive momentum even as available cargo capacity contracted by 7.1%, according to the latest figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The figures underscore the resilience of Africa’s air freight sector amid growing international trade flows and sustained demand for time-sensitive, high-value shipments, despite ongoing global geopolitical tensions and constrained cargo capacity on the continent.
Globally, air cargo demand rose by 8.5% compared to June 2025, while capacity increased by a more modest 4.4%, allowing demand to outpace available cargo space across most regions of the world. International cargo demand alone expanded by 9.6% year-on-year.
For African carriers, however, the story was different. While demand continued to strengthen, airlines operated with significantly less capacity than a year earlier, pushing the region’s cargo load factor up by 5.4 percentage points to 48.1%—one of the largest improvements among all global regions.
The performance comes as Africa continues to strengthen trade links with Asian markets. The Africa-Asia trade lane expanded by 0.9% in June, marking its 12th consecutive month of growth and underscoring steadily increasing commercial ties between the two regions.
