The International Air Transport Association (Iata) is standing by its 6% air cargo growth forecast for 2025, even if carriers return to the Red Sea.
While there's consensus that this is highly unlikely, even if it happens, Iata says it will not lower its forecast.
Director General Willie Walsh told Air Cargo News that the trade body believed the air cargo industry could well withstand the return of ocean shipping to the Red Sea, even though the prospect of such a return did seem a long way off.
He believes the core demand from time-sensitive markets that airfreight serves is unlikely to change.
"What we tend to transport by air is critical in terms of time or critical in terms of value. And those goods tend to stick with air rather than move to transport by ship, so just-in-time products will invariably move by air."
Iata predicted in December that air cargo volumes, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTK), would rise by 5.8% year-on-year to reach 72.5 million tonnes in 2025, supported by e-commerce and Red Sea-related demand.
Source: 274online
