Global air freight continued to outperform broader merchandise trade in June, with demand supported by high-value technology cargo despite subdued global export orders, according to the International Air Transport Association's (IATA) latest Air Cargo Market Analysis.
IATA said global manufacturing activity remained in expansion during June but new export orders contracted for a fourth consecutive month. Despite the weaker trade environment, international air cargo traffic increased by 9.6% year on year, driven by urgent inventory movements of artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductor products.
The association said air freight growth was concentrated in consignments where speed, reliability and cargo value justified premium transport, rather than reflecting a broad-based increase in global merchandise trade. It added that reliance on technology shipments and disruption-sensitive supply chains had underpinned the sector's recent performance.
Asia-linked trade lanes recorded the strongest growth during the month. The Asia-North America corridor expanded by 14.7%, extending its growth streak to five consecutive months, while within-Asia traffic increased by 7.2%. Europe-Asia traffic rose 7.1%, marking 40 consecutive months of growth. IATA attributed growth on the Asia-North America and within-Asia corridors in part to AI-related cargo movements.
The report cautioned that the market's dependence on technology shipments and other specialised cargo could leave the sector more exposed should demand for those products weaken.
