African carriers recorded above-market air cargo growth in April 2026, even as available capacity contracted sharply, according to IATA’s latest Air Cargo Market Analysis.
Total cargo tonne-kilometres (CTK) for African carriers increased by 7.7% year-on-year in April 2026, compared with global industry growth of 4.0%. International cargo performance was slightly stronger, with African carriers recording 7.8% year-on-year growth in international CTK, again ahead of the global international market, which also expanded by 4.0%.
The figures point to sustained demand for cargo carried by African-registered airlines, despite a tightening capacity environment. IATA noted that growth by African carriers reflected buoyant activity on Asia-linked networks, while the wider global market continued to be shaped by resilient Asian trade flows, supply-chain adjustment and disruption around Middle East airspace.
Capacity Falls Despite Stronger Demand
While African carriers recorded solid cargo demand growth, available cargo capacity moved in the opposite direction.
Total available cargo tonne-kilometres (ACTK) for African carriers fell by 9.4% year-on-year in April 2026. International ACTK declined by 9.0% over the same period.
IATA described the decline as African carriers’ capacity falling on weaker lift. The contraction came as global industry-wide capacity slipped by 0.4% year-on-year, with regional capacity developments varying considerably. Asia Pacific, Europe and North America posted capacity gains, while African and Middle East carriers recorded reductions.
The Middle East saw the sharpest capacity contraction, as operational disruptions restricted flight activity and weakened connectivity. Although Africa’s capacity decline was smaller than that recorded in the Middle East, it still stood out against a global market where demand was rising.
Load Factors Rise as Effective Capacity Tightens
The combination of higher demand and lower capacity pushed cargo load factors higher for African carriers.
Africa’s total cargo load factor increased by 7.8 percentage points to 49.1% in April 2026. On international services, the cargo load factor rose by 7.9 percentage points to 50.7%.
IATA reported that load factors rose across five of six regions, with the tightening most severe in Africa and the Middle East, where operational disruptions suppressed available lift.
Globally, the industry-wide cargo load factor climbed by 1.9 percentage points to 46.0%. Africa’s load factor therefore moved above the global total market level for April, while its international load factor was below the global international level of 52.4%.
Year-to-Date Growth Shows Stronger Momentum
Africa’s year-to-date performance was stronger than its April monthly result.
For the first four months of 2026, African carriers recorded total CTK growth of 12.3%, while international CTK increased by 12.4%. This compares with global year-to-date growth of 3.6% for the total market and 3.8% for international cargo.
Capacity growth was modest on a year-to-date basis. African carriers recorded a 1.6% increase in total ACTK and a 1.7% increase in international ACTK for the January to April 2026 period.
The year-to-date cargo load factor for African carriers increased by 4.4 percentage points to 46.2% in the total market. Internationally, the load factor rose by 4.6 percentage points to 47.9%.
Small Global Share, Strong Percentage Growth
Africa accounted for 2.1% of industry CTK in 2025, making it one of the smaller regional markets in IATA’s reporting structure.
The April 2026 figures therefore show strong percentage growth from a relatively small global base. Even so, Africa’s performance was notable because it combined above-market cargo demand growth with a marked reduction in available capacity.
The data should also be read in line with IATA’s reporting methodology. Airline traffic is allocated according to the region in which the carrier is registered and should not be treated as regional traffic. The figures therefore refer to African carriers, rather than air cargo movements within Africa or on intra-African routes.
Global Market Context
The African carrier performance came against a global cargo market that continued to expand despite significant network disruption.
Worldwide cargo demand rose by 4.0% year-on-year in April 2026, supported by Asian trade flows and tightening capacity across parts of the global network. International cargo traffic also grew by 4.0%.
Asia Pacific carriers were the main driver of global cargo growth, expanding CTKs by 10.5% year-on-year and accounting for more than half of incremental industry volumes. Internationally, Asia Pacific carriers recorded an 11.3% increase in CTK.
By contrast, Middle East carriers faced severe pressure, with total and international cargo volumes both falling by 18.2% year-on-year. IATA attributed this to operational disruption across Gulf airspace, reduced connectivity and rerouting around affected airspace.
Route-area data showed that Asia-linked corridors continued to outperform wider global trade lanes. The Europe–Asia corridor expanded by 16.2% year-on-year, while intra-Asian activity also strengthened materially. Asia–North America volumes extended a sixth consecutive month of expansion.
Freighters Remain Critical to Cargo Resilience
Dedicated freighters remained central to global air cargo growth in April 2026. Freighter volumes expanded by 7.0% year-on-year, returning to growth after previous weakness, while passenger belly cargo edged marginally lower.
IATA noted that airlines relied on controlled cargo capacity amid elevated operational uncertainty. Softer belly cargo performance was linked to disruption in passenger-related international operations across several major long-haul markets.
Across major trade corridors, dedicated freighters accounted for the largest share of incremental cargo growth, particularly on Europe–Asia and Asia–North America routes. This underlined the continued importance of controlled freighter capacity in maintaining long-haul cargo reliability during volatile operating conditions.
Fuel Prices and Yields Add Cost Pressure
The market was also affected by high fuel costs and rising cargo yields.
Jet fuel prices rose by 121.1% year-on-year in April 2026, while Dated Brent increased by 77.7%. IATA linked the pressure to geopolitical friction around the Strait of Hormuz, which constrained global energy supply and sustained high fuel costs.
Air cargo yields rose sharply, increasing by 17.8% month-on-month and 32.2% year-on-year in US dollar terms. Higher pricing reflected tighter effective capacity, elevated operating costs and continued disruption across key international trade lanes.
For African carriers, the wider market environment points to a mixed operating picture: demand growth remained robust, but reduced capacity, higher load factors and elevated operating costs indicate a tighter and more pressured cargo market.
