African airlines lead the world with 13.3% air cargo growth in May
By Aboki Forex —
African airlines recorded the strongest air cargo demand growth of any global region in May 2026. Cargo traffic rose by 13.3% compared to the same month last year, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Global air cargo demand grew by 6.0% during the month. Stronger trade and manufacturing activity supported the overall market, even with ongoing geopolitical and economic uncertainties.
IATA reported that African carriers led the world in May. Cargo capacity for these airlines increased by just 1.3% over the same period. This means demand far outstripped supply.
Globally, total air cargo demand measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTK) rose by 6.0% compared to May 2025. International cargo demand increased by 6.5%. Capacity measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres (ACTK) grew by 1.9% globally and 2.8% for international operations.
IATA said resilient demand across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America supported the overall market. In contrast, Middle Eastern carriers saw cargo demand contract by 8.9% year-on-year. Conflict in the region continued to disrupt cargo operations and trade flows.
Improving macroeconomic conditions continued to support the global air cargo market in May. Global trade expanded by 5.0% year-on-year. This marked the 25th consecutive month of annual growth. Manufacturing activity also remained in expansion territory.
However, export demand remained subdued. The Global Manufacturing Output Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) rose to 53.5 in May. But the New Export Orders Index stayed below the 50-point threshold at 49.6. This suggests air cargo growth was driven by selected trade corridors rather than broad-based growth in global exports.
Jet fuel prices declined by 16.3% month-on-month in May. This eased some cost pressures for airlines. But prices remained 93.5% higher than the same period last year.