Middle East Air Cargo Volumes Up 15.4% in August v/s Pre-COVID Levels

Middle Eastern air cargo carriers experienced an 15.4% rise in international cargo volumes measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs) in August 2021 versus August 2019, an improvement compared to the previous month (13.4%).

The large Middle East–Asia trade lanes continue to post strong performance. International capacity however, decreased 5.1%.

Meanwhile, global demand was up 7.7% compared to August 2019 (8.6% for international operations).

Globally also the overall growth remains strong compared to the long-term average growth trend of around 4.7%.

Economic conditions continue to support air cargo growth but are slightly weaker than in the previous months indicating that global manufacturing growth has peaked.

Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General said: "Air cargo demand had another strong month in August, up 7.7% compared to pre-COVID levels. Many of the economic indicators point to a strong year-end peak season.

"With international travel still severely depressed, there are fewer passenger planes offering belly capacity for cargo. And supply chain bottlenecks could intensify as businesses continue to ramp up production.”

Read More: Middle East Region Air Cargo Volumes See Slight Dip in July