Global air cargo demand continued its strong momentum in June, with traffic increasing 8.5% year over year as demand outpaced capacity growth across most regions, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs), global demand rose 8.5% compared to June 2025, while available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTKs) increased 4.4%. International demand climbed 9.6%, with international capacity up 4.9%.

"Air cargo demand grew 8.5% year-on-year in June," said Willie Walsh, IATA's director general. "While North America was the strongest contributor to growth, demand in all regions was in positive territory compared to last year."

Walsh noted that demand exceeded capacity growth globally and in every region except Latin America and the Caribbean. He also pointed to strong shipments of high-value technology products and time-sensitive cargo as key drivers, while cautioning that geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and renewed U.S. tariff concerns could weigh on the market during the second half of the year.

Global trade expanded 5.2% year over year in June, while manufacturing activity remained supportive despite softening export orders. IATA said the data suggests cargo growth is being fueled by specific trade lanes rather than a broad-based increase in global exports.

Among the regions, North American carriers posted the strongest performance, with cargo demand increasing 13.1% while capacity grew 6.2%. Asia-Pacific airlines reported demand growth of 7.9% with capacity up 4.3%, followed by Europe, where demand rose 6.9% and capacity increased 3.7%.

Middle Eastern carriers recorded 5.6% demand growth and a 2.5% increase in capacity, although IATA noted the comparison is against a particularly weak June 2025 affected by military conflict. African airlines saw demand rise 4.7% while capacity declined 7.1%, resulting in the largest increase in cargo load factor among all regions.

Latin American and Caribbean carriers posted the slowest growth, with demand increasing 3.5% while capacity expanded 9.8%.

Trade lane performance also remained uneven. Asia–North America led all major corridors with 14.7% growth, followed by Within Asia (7.2%) and Europe–Asia (7.1%). Europe–Asia has now recorded 40 consecutive months of growth. In contrast, routes involving the Middle East continued to be affected by regional conflict, with Europe–Middle East traffic falling 41.1% and Middle East–Asia declining 4.1%.

Overall cargo load factor improved 1.7 percentage points from a year earlier to 46.9%, reflecting continued strength in demand relative to available capacity.