Middle East Region Air Cargo Volumes See Slight Dip in July

Middle Eastern carriers posted an 11.3% rise in international cargo volumes in July 2021 versus July 2019 according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) data released for July 2021.

This was a decrease compared to the previous month (15.8%). Some routes, however, are still posting strong performance, for example on the large Middle East–Asia trade lanes.

Meanwhile, global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTKs*), was up 8.6% compared to July 2019. Overall growth remains strong compared to the long-term average growth trend of around 4.7%.

The pace of growth slowed slightly compared to June which saw demand increase 9.2% (against pre-COVID-19 levels).

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Capacity continues to recover but is still 10.3% down compared to July 2019.

Economic conditions continue to support air cargo growth. July export orders component of the manufacturing Purchasing Managers Indices (PMIs) was 52.7%, indicating a short-term boost to demand if those orders are shipped by air.

The inventory-to-sales ratio remains low ahead of the peak year-end retail season.​​​

Wille Walsh, IATA’s Director General said: “July was another solid month for global air cargo demand. Economic conditions indicate that the strong growth trend will continue into the peak year-end demand period.

"The Delta variant of COVID-19 could bring some risks. If supply chains and production lines are disrupted, there is potential for a knock-on effect for air cargo shipments.”

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