Africa leads the world in air cargo growth as global freight demand strengthens

January 8, 2026 in Business, Companies, Trade & Industry, Transport by Editor

Africa recorded the fastest air cargo growth globally in November 2025, outpacing all regions as the continent’s expanding trade links with Asia helped lift global freight demand into the year-end peak.

Africa outperformed all global regions in air cargo demand in November 2025, posting a robust 15.6pc year-on-year increase as rising Africa–Asia trade and improved intra-continental flows drove the continent’s strongest monthly expansion of the year. New figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) show that African carriers not only outpaced growth elsewhere but also helped lift an already strengthening global freight market into the year-end peak.

Capacity in Africa rose even faster at 18.1pc, underscoring renewed confidence among operators serving the continent’s trade corridors. The Africa–Asia lane, now one of the fastest-growing global routes, expanded 9.5pc in November, sustaining a five-month streak of uninterrupted growth.

Strong African performance boosts a global market that grew 5.5pc

Globally, air cargo demand grew by 5.5pc compared to November 2024, with international freight expanding by 6.9pc. This suggests a firm recovery in cross-border shipments, helped by shippers prioritising speed ahead of holiday deliveries and by strategic rerouting of goods amid evolving tariff regimes.

Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, said emerging markets — including Africa — played a central role in cushioning global volatility. “Strong emerging market demand and selective Middle Eastern growth more than made up for softness in the Americas amid ongoing adjustment to the new US tariff regime,” he said. “The strong end for 2025 bodes well for the industry heading into the new year.”

Global capacity rose 4.7pc, supporting a modest improvement in load factors to 49.1pc.

Asia-Pacific airlines delivered another strong month, with demand growing 10.3pc year-on-year as intra-Asia trade — one of the world’s most important cargo markets — surged 15.8pc. The region has now sustained more than two years of uninterrupted growth on this corridor.

Middle Eastern carriers grew 7.4pc, driven by continued strength on Middle East–Asia and Middle East–Europe routes. The region added 11pc capacity, signalling aggressive network deployment to meet long-haul demand.

Europe posted a steady 5.8pc increase, buoyed by an 11.7pc rise on the Europe–Asia corridor — its 33rd consecutive month of expansion.

Americas remain the global outlier

The Americas were the only major cargo region to contract in November. North American airlines saw demand fall 1.6pc, and Latin America and the Caribbean posted a deeper 4.8pc decline, the weakest global performance. Capacity reductions mirrored the downturn as carriers adjusted networks to softer demand conditions and tariff reconfigurations.

Still, the North America–Europe corridor grew 5pc, extending a 22-month streak of transatlantic resilience.

The broader operating environment remained supportive. Global goods trade rose 3.2pc year-on-year in October, and global manufacturing sentiment strengthened for the fourth consecutive month, with the PMI reaching 51.17.

However, carriers continue to navigate cost headwinds. Jet fuel prices climbed 5.9pc in November, driven by refinery disruptions and tight processing capacity, pushing margins to nearly double last year’s levels.

The November data highlights a structural reshaping of air cargo flows. Africa’s rapid rise reflects deepening ties with Asia, while Middle Eastern and Asia-Pacific hubs consolidate their positions in long-haul freight.

As trade rerouting becomes the norm, carriers increasingly rely on agile capacity deployment to capture emerging-market demand — a trend that defined late 2025 and could set the tone for early 2026.