The International Air Transport Association (IATA), there was a very limited recovery in air cargo volumes in September.
Airfreight traffic, as measured in flown freight tonne-kilometres (FTKs), rose by one per cent compared to the same month of 2014.
But with all regions’ airlines reporting capacity growth, the freight load factor fell to 43.2 per cent in September, its lowest point since 2009.
IATA’s director general and chief executive officer, Tony Tyler comments: “Although slightly improved from August, the global trend is fragile, and the improvement is narrowly based.
“The 2.8 per cent growth reported by European carriers reflects positive trends in trade with Central and Eastern European economies as well as a general improvement in manufacturing in the Eurozone.
“But the largest air cargo region, Asia Pacific, was only just in positive territory, held down by weak regional trade.”
Middle Eastern airlines fared the best, their traffic rising by 7.5 percent, but both North American and Latin America carriers recorded falls in their flown FTKs.
Over the course of the first nine months of 2015, member airlines’ freight traffic rose by 2.4 per cent compared to the same three quarters of 2014.
IATA says that there is reason for optimisim, despite current performance, which is said to be largely tracking struggling trade patterns.
The recently agreed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) may help, Tyler suggests. He points out: “We have high hopes that the TPP will deliver its promised benefits to participating economies with air transport – cargo and passenger – playing its role as one of the catalysts for growth.”
