IATA: Africa’s Air Cargo Demand Up 3% Despite Capacity Surge
Africa’s air cargo market recorded a three per cent year-on-year increase in demand in August 2026, but the growth was accompanied by a much sharper 14 per cent expansion in
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported a three percent increase in air cargo demand across Africa in August 2026, despite a 14 percent surge in cargo capacity, according to recent data. This growth positioned African airlines among the regions that experienced positive demand growth during the month, though it still fell short of the global average of 4.4 percent.
The IATA's August 2026 report on the global air cargo market revealed that worldwide demand, quantified in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTK), rose by 4.4 percent compared to August 2025, whereas international demand expanded by 5.3 percent. However, global capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometres (ACTK), slightly decreased by 0.1 percent year-on-year, while international capacity saw a marginal increase of 0.1 percent.
Africa's demand growth of three percent coincided with a substantial 14 percent rise in capacity, which was the highest among all the regions monitored by IATA. Consequently, the continent's cargo load factor declined by 3.9 percentage points to 36.5 percent. Africa's share of global industry cargo tonne-kilometres amounted to 2.1 percent in 2025, according to IATA.
The data highlights that while African carriers managed to generate additional cargo traffic in August, the rapid expansion of capacity outpaced demand, resulting in a larger share of available cargo space remaining vacant. Notably, the African market's demand growth trailed behind that observed in North America, which witnessed a 6.6 percent increase, Latin America and the Caribbean with a 5.1 percent growth, Asia-Pacific at 4.3 percent, and Europe at 4.1 percent.
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