During April 2025, African airlines saw a 4,7% year-on-year increase in demand for air cargo, increasing their cargo capacity by 9,7% year-on-year.
During the month, Africa accounted for 2% percent of the total global air cargo traffic market. This compared with the global 5,7% rise in demand for air cargo and 6,3% expansion of cargo capacity over the same y-o-y period.
“Air cargo demand grew strongly in April, with volumes up 5,8% year-on-year, building on March’s solid performance,” says Willie Walsh, director-general of IATA. “Seasonal demand for fashion and consumer goods — front-loading ahead of US tariff changes — and lower jet fuel prices have combined to boost air cargo.
“With available capacity at record levels and yields improving, the outlook for air cargo is encouraging. While April brought good news, stresses in world trade are no secret. Shifts in trade policy, particularly in the US, are already reshaping demand and export dynamics. Airlines will need to remain flexible as the situation develops over the coming months.”
He points to several factors in the operating environment:
- Year-on-year, world industrial production rose 3,2% in March. Air cargo growth outpaced global goods trade, which increased by 6,5% over the previous month.
- Jet fuel prices dropped 21,2% year-on-year and 4,1% month-on-month, the third consecutive monthly decrease.
- The global manufacturing PMI rose to 50.5 in April, signaling expansion for the fourth consecutive month. However, the PMI for new export orders fell 2.8 points to 47.2, remaining below the 50 threshold for growth.