Shippers rushed to move cargo in April in a bid to avoid price rises as the Middle East conflict continued, reported the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines (AAPA).
Preliminary April traffic figures released by the association found that Asia Pacific airlines had a 4.1% year-on-year increase in demand, as measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTK).
The AAPA said “the conflict in the Middle East resulted in supply chain disruptions and higher prices for goods, prompting accelerated stockpiling activity as businesses and consumers sought to secure products ahead of further cost increases. This, in turn, lent support to air cargo market growth”.
Offered freight capacity expanded by 4.4%, resulting in a 0.2 percentage point decline in the average international freight load factor to 60.5% for the month.
Wong Hong, AAPA director general, said that “the start of the second quarter saw accelerated expansion in global manufacturing activity, with increased purchases of consumer and intermediate goods driving demand for air shipments”.
He added: “Growth in April helped lift international air cargo demand during the first four months of 2026 to 5.3%.”
Despite air cargo demand growth, he acknowledged that there were continued pressures on airlines, including high fuel prices.
“Despite signs of the conflict easing, growing macroeconomic uncertainty, coupled with inflationary pressures continue to weigh on the outlook for both passenger and air cargo markets in the months ahead,” said Hong.
“Nevertheless, Asia Pacific airlines remain vigilant in managing costs and carefully deploying capacity to optimise yields and profitability in this challenging operating environment, without compromising safety standards.”
The latest statistics from IATA show that in April, air cargo traffic in cargo tonne km terms increased by 4% year on year.
