Asia Pacific Air Cargo Demand Rises 8.4 Pct In 2025, Leading Global Performance -- IATA

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 29 (Bernama) -- Asia Pacific airlines led global performance in 2025, with air cargo demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTK), rising 8.4 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y), supported by most major routes, said the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

It said for December 2025, Asia Pacific carriers posted a 9.4 per cent y-o-y growth, underpinned by year-end e-commerce demand and resilient intra-regional trade, reinforcing the region’s role as the industry’s primary growth anchor.

On the global front, it said air cargo demand grew 3.4 per cent y-o-y in 2025 and expanded 4.3 per cent y-o-y in December 2025.

IATA director general Willie Walsh said global e-commerce strength drove volumes, even as trading relationships with the United States (US) faced rising tariffs, the removal of de minimis tariff exemptions, and continuing policy uncertainty. 

"Air cargo rose to the occasion, adapting quickly to support global businesses and supply chains as they front-loaded product deliveries ahead of tariff impositions and adjusted to rising demand within Asia and between Asia and Europe as US-Asia trade stagnated,” he said.

 Moving forward, Walsh said growth in 2026 is expected to moderate slightly to 2.4 per cent, in line with historical trends. 

"We can expect that demand will continue to be shaped by trade and geopolitical developments. 

"Whatever trading patterns emerge, we can be confident that reliance on air cargo to keep global supply chains running will remain, with carriers responding to the challenge by deploying capacity and designing their networks for optimum flexibility,” he said.

-- BERNAMA