Airlines in Africa recorded a 4.7% year-on-year increase in air cargo demand in April 2025, while cargo capacity rose at a faster rate of 9.7%.
INCREASED AIR CARGO FOR AFRICA IN APRIL 2025
IATA said in a report, “African airlines saw a 4.7% year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo in April. Capacity increased by 9.7% year-on-year.”
The data was published by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which also noted a 5.8% increase in global cargo demand for the same period, alongside a 6.3% rise in available cargo capacity.
For international operations specifically, demand grew by 6.5% and capacity expanded by 6.9%.
The data thus shows a continued recovery in Africa’s air freight sector.
“Air cargo demand grew strongly in April, with volumes up 5.8% year-on-year, building on March’s solid performance,” the IATA report stated.
DRIVERS OF INCREASED CARGO DEMAND
IATA’s Director General, Willie Walsh, highlighted that a combination of seasonal demand for fashion and consumer goods, driven by front-loading ahead of US tariff changes, and declining jet fuel prices has significantly boosted air cargo volumes.
With capacity at record highs and yields showing improvement, the future outlook for the air cargo industry remains positive.
Regionally, Latin American carriers led global growth with a 10.1% increase in cargo demand, followed closely by Asia-Pacific airlines with 10.0%.
- North American carriers saw a 4.2% rise, while European airlines posted 2.9%. Middle Eastern carriers recorded the slowest growth at 2.3%.
- African airlines’ 4.7% gain in demand placed them in the middle of the pack, highlighting their stable performance in a challenging global trade environment. However, the gap with the 9.7% increase in capacity could strain profitability, especially if global export volumes begin to soften further.
- The IATA report further noted that several macroeconomic indicators shaped April’s cargo trends. World industrial production rose 3.2% year-on-year in March, while global goods trade jumped 6.5% month-on-month.
Jet fuel prices continued their downward trend, falling 21.2% compared to a year ago and 4.1% from the previous month.
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