News / Passengers now the ‘freeloaders’, as air cargo keeps the aircraft flying

August may traditionally be the ‘silly season’ – or slack season, in freight terms – but air cargo load factors are some 8% higher than a year ago, while volumes are down just 17% from 2019.

In the last week of August, volumes were just 4% lower than a year earlier on China to Europe lanes, showing that fears of a lack volumes after the PPE peak have not materialised.

The industry has come a long way since April, when volumes were ...