Air cargo growth outpacing trade as upward trend continues

The latest stats are in and it’s confirmed – air freight has had a good start to the year. According to WorldACD, January and February (combined) show year-on-year growth of 6.3% in kg and 7.4% in direct tonne km, with Asa Pacific up 11%, north America up 7% and Europe up 6.5%. Yield, meanwhile, didn’t fall as much from November and December, to the first two months of the new year – it lost 5.9%, in contrast to 8.3% a year earlier.  However, with jet fuel going up, “margins for airlines continue to be fragile”.