The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for August 2026 global air cargo markets showing:

Total demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTK), increased by 4.4% compared to August 2025 (+5.3% for international operations).

Capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTK), decreased by 0.1% compared to August 2025 (+0.1% for international operations). 

Several factors in the operating environment should be noted:

Global trade increased by 6.0% year-on-year in July, extending the run of consecutive monthly expansions to 33 months, on a year-on-year basis.

Jet fuel prices rose by 8.3% month-on-month in August and were 79.2% higher than a year earlier.

Global manufacturing activity increased in August. The Global Manufacturing Output Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) increased 0.3 points to 53.0, while the New Export Orders Index rose 1.4 points to 51.4. Both indicators remained supportive of air cargo demand.

Trade Lane Growth

Air cargo performance diverged across major trade lanes in August. Asia–North America recorded the strongest growth, followed by within Asia, Europe–North America, and Europe–Asia. In contrast, Gulf-linked corridors remained disrupted by the conflict in the Middle East.