African airlines have become the world's strongest driver of air cargo growth, recording a 13.3 percent year-on-year jump in freight demand during May 2026. Data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) shows the continent far outpaced the global average of 6.0 percent.
What makes Africa's performance even more striking is how carriers managed capacity with discipline. While demand surged into double digits, available cargo capacity grew by just 1.3 percent across the region.
This tight squeeze between soaring freight volumes and restrained capacity additions has compressed the market significantly. The result: higher load factors and improved profitability for African operators.
Trade between Africa and Asia has fuelled much of this growth. Freight volumes on this route jumped 14.1 percent year-on-year, reflecting strengthening commercial and logistics partnerships between both regions.
Globally, air cargo demand climbed 6.0 percent compared to May 2025, with international operations rising 6.5 percent. According to IATA, airlines are leaning on robust load factors and elevated cargo yields to counterbalance steep operational costs.
Willie Walsh, IATA's director general, told reporters the May results offered grounds for cautious optimism about air cargo's trajectory for the rest of the year. "Airlines have adjusted their operations to match shifting demand patterns and supply chain requirements," he said, adding that "yield growth and higher load factors are helping recoup elevated fuel expenses."
However, IATA's underlying figures reveal this expansion concentrates in specific regional trade corridors—particularly Africa-Asia links—rather than spreading across a uniform global export boom. While global trade expanded 5 percent for the 25th consecutive month, new export orders dipped below growth territory at 49.6.
Jet fuel prices offered temporary relief in May, falling 16.3 percent month-on-month. Yet they remain dramatically elevated at 93.5 percent above year-earlier levels.
Performance elsewhere diverged sharply, shaped by strong trans-Pacific activity and Middle East disruptions. North America's carriers achieved the world's second-highest growth at 10.5 percent, driven by a 19.9 percent surge on Asia-North America routes, while capacity expanded 2.4 percent.
Asia-Pacific airlines posted 8.0 percent demand growth and expanded capacity by 5.1 percent, remaining the industry's principal volume engine. European carriers grew 6.7 percent, boosted by 11.5 percent intra-European traffic growth, with capacity climbing 2.2 percent.
Latin America and the Caribbean recorded the weakest expansion at 1.9 percent. Notably, capacity additions of 5.6 percent outpaced demand for the first time among expanding regions.
The Middle East fared worst globally, contracting 8.9 percent as conflict and airspace restrictions severely hampered Gulf-linked corridors. Capacity there dropped 9.2 percent as traditional transit routes suffered disruption.
