African Air Cargo Capacity Rises 14% in August, IATA Reports

African airlines expanded their air cargo capacity by 14% year-on-year in August, significantly faster than the growth in regional demand, according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

IATA said cargo demand across Africa increased by 3% year-on-year during the month. The difference between capacity and demand contributed to a 3.9 percentage-point decline in the region’s freight load factor, which stood at 36.5%.

Capacity growth outpaces demand

The figures indicate that airlines added substantially more cargo capacity than was matched by demand in the regional market. Freight load factor measures the share of available cargo capacity being used.

IATA’s global air market data also showed continued weakness on the Africa-Asia corridor. The route recorded an 11.9% year-on-year contraction in August, marking its third consecutive month of decline.

Global demand records increase

Globally, air freight demand rose by 4.4% year-on-year, IATA reported. The organisation described the worldwide increase as a positive sign ahead of the peak end-of-year season.

The data covers August, although the supplied information does not specify the calendar year. IATA was the source of the regional and global figures.