Geneva – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global air freight markets, showing a modest 1.6% rise in volumes in March compared to a year ago, measured in Freight Tonne Kilometers (FTK).
The industry’s March performance stands in sharp contrast to the exceptionally strong 12.2% rise reported for February. February’s performance, however, was positively skewed by the combined impacts of the timing of the Lunar New Year and the labor dispute at US West Coast seaports.
Freight performance over the first quarter of the year indicates year-on-year growth of 5.3%. This is in line with general global economic trends and slightly higher than the 4.5% growth that was anticipated in IATA’s December outlook.
The regional growth picture remains highly mixed. Latin American and European carriers reported market contractions while Middle East carriers showed rapid growth.
“The air cargo industry is on a solid but unspectacular growth trend. And there is little evidence today that would point towards an acceleration as the year goes on,” said Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO.
| Mar 2015 vs. Mar 2014 | FTK Growth | AFTK Growth | FLF |
|---|---|---|---|
| International | 1.7% | 4.0% | 51.9 |
| Domestic | 0.9% | 0.0% | 30.8 |
| Total Market | 1.6% | 3.2% | 47.9 |
| YTD 2015 vs. YTD 2014 | FPK Growth | AFTK Growth | FLF |
|---|---|---|---|
| International | 5.8% | 5.9% | 49.5 |
| Domestic | 2.3% | 0.1% | 30.5 |
| Total Market | 5.3% | 4.7% | 45.8 |
Longer-term, IATA called on governments to work in partnership to remove barriers to trade. “The growth in air cargo markets has shifted down a gear. World trade and air cargo are still growing, but only in line with industrial production. Removing barriers to trade in line with the World Trade Organization (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) would deliver a much needed boost to the global economy,” said Tyler. The World Economic Forum estimates that the WTO TFA could boost the global economy by as much as $1 trillion.
Regional Analysis in Detail
Asia-Pacific carriers reported FTK growth of 2.0% in March compared to March 2014. This appearance of a sharp slowdown from the February rate of 20.5% is a reflection of the impact of Lunar New Year and the US West Coast port strike. Capacity expanded 3.9%.
European carriers declined 2.4% in March, compared to a year ago. The European Central Bank has been engaged in quantitative easing in an attempt to improve the economy and to offset weakness which persists as a result of the Russian sanctions. Capacity rose 2.3%.
North American airlines reported growth of 0.8% year-on-year. Economic indicators for employment, business and consumer confidence are positive, which should point to stronger growth in the coming months. Capacity fell 3.1%.
Middle Eastern carriers saw FTKs grow by 10.6%, fuelled by network and capacity expansion. Trade is also increasing among Middle Eastern economies. Capacity grew 17.1%.
Latin American airlines reported a fall of 6.4% in year-on-year FTKs. The key economies of Brazil and Argentina continue to struggle, and a general increase in regional trade activity is yet to carry over into stronger air freight demand. Capacity expanded 3.3%.
African airlines experienced a 2.4% increase in FTKs. The region has posted solid growth in Q1 2015, indicating that regional trade is holding up well, despite the under-performance of the Nigerian and South African economies. Capacity rose 0.5%.
View March freight results (pdf)
For more information, please contact:
Corporate Communications
Tel: +41 22 770 2967
Email: corpcomms@iata.org
Notes for Editors:
- IATA (International Air Transport Association) represents some 260 airlines comprising 84% of global air traffic.
- All figures are provisional and represent total reporting at time of publication plus estimates for missing data. Historic figures may be revised.
- You can follow us at http://twitter.com/iata2press for news specially catered for the media.
- Explanation of measurement terms:
- FTK: Freight Tonne Kilometers measures actual freight traffic
- AFTK: Available Freight Tonne Kilometers measures available total freight capacity
- FLF: Freight Load Factor is % of AFTKs used
- IATA statistics cover international and domestic scheduled air freight for IATA member and non-member airlines.
- Total freight traffic market shares by region of carriers in terms of FTK are: Asia-Pacific 40.0%, Europe 23.0%, North America 20.0%, Middle East 14.0%, Latin America 3.0%, Africa 1.0%.