Supporting every shopper’s privilege of browsing avocados from Peru or fresh salmon from the Scottish Highlands in the cold aisle of their local supermarket, is a multi-billion-dollar food logistics industry. A recent Research and Markets report estimates the industry grew to $162 billion in 2024.
Getting Perishable Goods to the consumer requires a well-greased supply chain that increasingly relies on air transport. This is highlighted in the latest data from marketing intelligence tool IATA CargoIS, which shows that in 2024, the overall fresh produce market transported by air grew by 8%.
Fruit and Vegetables were by far the biggest segment in 2024, representing almost a third of all Perishable Goods transported by air. The next biggest segments were Fish (21%), Flowers (13%) and Meat (10%). The fastest-growing segments were Cool Goods, up 45% and Meat, up 21% year on year in 2024.
One of the busiest trade lanes for Fruit and Vegetables, was between Mumbai and London Heathrow, driven by demand from a thriving Indian community in the UK. The second busiest, was a domestic route between Davao, the Philippines’ agricultural hub and the capital Manila.
Fruit and Vegetables: Top 5 routes (chargeable weight) in 2024
Australia was by far the biggest exporter of Meat by air in 2024—with more than 50% of the market. Melbourne was by far the biggest Australian gateway, with meat transported from the city by air growing 55% year on year. Most of these shipments were to key consumer markets in Singapore, Dubai, Doha and Frankfurt.
Pakistan and South Africa also featured as top source markets for Meat, with South African shipments by air virtually doubling year on year in 2024.
Demand for certain products has shown to be highly seasonal and driven by key celebrations globally. Flower shipments spiked in the first two weeks of February ahead of Valentine’s Day, with Ecuador, Kenya and Colombia making up the top source markets.
Similarly, fish shipments increased sharply ahead of Chinese New Year. Norway was by far the biggest source market. Between 20 November 2023 to 4 February 2024, Norway accounted for 46.54% of the chargeable weight of fish transported by air. Most of these shipments were destined for Asia, with Japan, Thailand and China the largest markets.
“The growth in Perishable Goods volumes highlights the vital role air travel plays in helping farmers, production companies, and traders get their produce from the farm to the supermarket shelf. Shipping Perishable Goods by air saves precious time for cargo that has a short shelf life while making it more sustainable by reducing waste. To cope with sustained market growth and consumer needs, IATA has worked with airlines and shippers to develop standards, training, efficient handling techniques, and packaging methods to ensure food safety and a logistics chain where speed of transit is non-negotiable,” said Brendan Sullivan, IATA’s Global Head of Cargo.
> Find out more about Perishable Cargo Regulations (PCR)
