Air freight demand stays strong into the second half, alongside rising yield trend

Air cargo yields have risen at their fastest annual pace since 2010, rising 7.9% in July. In fact, IATA’s latest cargo chartbook shows that – as expected – air freight demand has continued strong in the second half, with FTKs seeing 11.8% growth in July, another record since 2010. As ever, IATA can’t resist a cloud, and it notes that “signs suggest that the cyclical upturn in FTK growth may be nearing a peak – not least the fact that the inventory-to-sales ratio has stopped falling”.

Regionally, July saw a strong pick-up from North American airlines, but cargo throughput grew considerably at a number of key airports around the world, although Abu Dhabi once again bucked the trend, with volumes down 5.9%.  You can see the full results here.