Air cargo demand strengthens in March

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It’s been a long time since there has been such a positive article on air freight volumes. But here it is: Cargo Facts’ quarterly analysis of traffic results shows that March was a significant month in some places, and far from disastrous in others.

The biggest news is from Cathay, which has long been struggling with depressed demand. But the carrier saw March traffic rise 19.3%, and had an overall first-quarter gain of 7.6%. As it is something of a bellwether for Asia, this news can only be welcomed. HACTL was up 11% (adjusted for the loss of Cathay’s business), while PACTL was up 14.4% for the quarter.

Europe didn’t get into double-digit growth, but even Air France KLM enjoyed a 2.7% rise in March. The only airlines on the list which saw volumes fall were the LATAM Airlines Group, which cut capacity by 9.2% and reported March traffic down 6.6%, and Delta, which suffered a 4.8% decline in the first quarter. Otherwise, it’s happy reading – and a refreshing change.