April 2021 may be remembered by some as the month in which at least part of the air cargo figures returned to some kind of normality according to WorldACD market research.
“Although worldwide volumes were up by 53% and widebody capacity by a ‘matching’ 51% year-over-year (YoY), air cargo increased by a much more ‘normal’ 3% when compared to April 2019, their research has revealed.
“Yet, it is not unjustified to speak of a business continuing to be turned upside down, as many other measures were not even near ‘normal’…”
The data shows that the average rate/kg went up from an already ‘unheard-of’ level of US$3.12 in March to US$3.30, even though it came down by 12% from the crazy level of April 2020. Widebody freighter capacity increased by 1% YoY.
“But what to think of the changing role of w/b passenger aircraft? They produced one-fifth of total cargo capacity in April 2020, when many passenger flights were cancelled. A year later, the figures are completely different: in April 2021, cargo capacity on w/b passenger aircraft almost tripled YoY, and comes very close to the total capacity produced on w/b freighters,” the research reveals.
