Global air cargo demand rises 8.5% in June, driven by AI, semiconductor logistics
Routes involving the Middle East continued to record lower volumes.
GLOBAL – Global air cargo demand has increased by 8.5% year-on-year in June 2026, according to IATA, fueled largely by the logistics needs of the artificial intelligence and semiconductor sectors, while international demand rose by 9.6% as performance remained inconsistent across different geographic regions.
IATA attributed the development partly to the continued recovery of Middle Eastern airlines and performance in North America. The association said international growth contrasted with weaker export orders, pointing to cargo flows linked to inventory movements of AI and semiconductor products.
North American carriers recorded year-on-year demand growth of 17.1%, followed by Asia-Pacific carriers at 9.6% and European carriers at 7.2%. Meanwhile, Middle Eastern carriers recorded a 5.6% increase as network capacity continued to recover.
Regional Disparities and Trade Corridor Performance
Global air cargo capacity increased by 4.4% year-on-year in June, below the rate of demand growth. For the first half of 2026, air cargo traffic increased by 4.9%, while capacity rose by 2.1%. The international load factor increased by 1.4 points to 51.9%.
Performance varied between major trade corridors. Asia-North America traffic increased by 14.7% in June, marking a fifth consecutive month of growth. IATA linked the increase to demand for AI and semiconductor cargo.
Asia-Europe volumes rose by 7.1%, extending the corridor’s growth period to 40 consecutive months. Intra-Asia traffic increased by 7.2%, also supported by flows related to artificial intelligence.
Middle East Contraction and Transatlantic Stability
Routes involving the Middle East continued to record lower volumes. Europe-Middle East traffic declined by 41.1% year-on-year, with the decline widening by 20.2 percentage points compared with May. Middle East-Asia traffic decreased by 4.1% year-on-year, although the rate of contraction slowed.
Transatlantic air cargo traffic remained broadly stable year-on-year in June after three consecutive months of contraction. The contrast between the strong performance of Asia-linked corridors and the sharp declines in Middle East routes highlights the uneven recovery across global trade lanes.
Despite these regional disparities, the first half of the year showed a steady upward trajectory for the industry, even as export orders in other sectors remained soft.
Finally, shipping rates are beginning to stabilize, while air cargo revenues remain higher than the previous year.
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