July 2021 data for global air cargo markets
1 September 2021 2021 (Geneva)- The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released July 2021 data for global air cargo markets showing that demand continued its strong growth trend.
As comparisons between 2021 and 2020 monthly results are distorted by the extraordinary impact of COVID-19, unless otherwise noted, all comparisons below are to July 2019 which followed a normal demand pattern.
- Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs*), was up 8.6% compared to July 2019. Overall growth remains strong compared to the long-term average growth trend of around 4.7%.
- The pace of growth slowed slightly compared to June which saw demand increase 9.2% (against pre-COVID-19 levels).
- Capacity continues to recover but is still 10.3% down compared to July 2019.
- Economic conditions continue to support air cargo growth:
- The July export orders component of the manufacturing Purchasing Managers Indices (PMIs) was 52.7, indicating a short-term boost to demand if those orders are shipped by air.
- The inventory-to-sales ratio remains low ahead of the peak year-end retail season.
"July was another solid month for global air cargo demand. Economic conditions indicate that the strong growth trend will continue into the peak year-end demand period. The Delta variant of COVID-19 could bring some risks. If supply chains and production lines are disrupted, there is potential for a knock-on effect for air cargo shipments,"said Wille Walsh, IATA's Director General.
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July Regional Performance
Asia-Pacific airlinessaw demand for international air cargo increase 4.4% in July 2021 compared to the same month in 2019, and an improvement compared to the previous months 3.9% expansion. Demand is being affected by an easing of momentum in key activity indicators in Asia, and by congested supply chains.
North American carriersposted a 20.5% increase in international demand in July 2021 compared to July 2019. This was in line with Junes performance (19.8%) and the strongest of all regions. New export orders and demand for faster shipping times are underpinning the North American performance.
European carriersposted a 6.0% increase in demand in July 2021 compared to the same month in 2019. This was a marginal decrease compared to the previous month (6.8%). Manufacturing activity, orders and supplier delivery times are still favorable to air cargo.
Middle Eastern carriersposted an 11.3% rise in international cargo volumes in July 2021 versus July 2019. This was a decrease compared to the previous month (15.8%). Some routes, however, are still posting strong performance, for example on the large Middle EastAsia trade lanes.
Latin American carriersreported a decline of 10.2% in international cargo volumes in July compared to the 2019 period, an improvement from the -21.5% fall recorded in June. Although Latin America continues to show the weakest regional performance, the comparison with pre-crisis traffic levels has been highly volatile in recent months. Several trade routes to/from Latin America are performing well, such as North-Central and North-South America and Europe-South America, confirming that demand for air cargo in the region is recovering from the crisis.
African airlinescargo demand statistics were unavailable at time of going to press. This will be summarized next month.
View theair cargo market analysis for July 2021(pdf)
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IATA (International Air Transport Association) represents some 290 airlines comprising 82% of global air traffic.
You can follow us athttps://twitter.com/iatafor announcements, policy positions, and other useful industry information.
Please note that as of January 2020 onwards, we have clarified the terminology of the Industry and Regional series from Freight to Cargo, the corresponding metrics being FTK (changed to CTK), AFTK (changed to ACTK), and FLF (changed to CLF), in order to reflect that the series have been consisting of Cargo (Freight plus Mail) rather than Freight only. The data series themselves have not been changed.
Explanation of measurement terms:
- CTK: cargo tonne-kilometers measures actual cargo traffic
- ACTK: available cargo tonne-kilometers measures available total cargo capacity
- CLF: cargo load factor is % of ACTKs used
IATA statistics cover international and domestic scheduled air cargo for IATA member and non-member airlines.
IATA statistics cover international and domestic scheduled air cargo for IATA member and non-member airlines.
Total cargo traffic market share by region of carriers in terms of CTK is: Asia-Pacific 32.6%, Europe 22.3%, North America 27.8%, Middle East 13.0% and Latin America 2.4%.
Amit Singh
Mumbai, India
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