The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that global air cargo demand increased 4.4% last March compared to the same period in 2025, primarily due to advance purchases amid the uncertainty caused by the imposition of tariffs by the United States.
Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general, said March cargo volumes “were strong. This may be due in part to an anticipated concentration of demand , as some companies tried to ride out the Trump administration’s April 2 tariff announcement.”
Similarly, he indicated that in addition to the US tariffs, new trade rules, especially the May 2 ban on duty-free imports from China and Hong Kong, may have led businesses and buyers to make purchases early to avoid significant import fees.
In this regard, Asia-Pacific airlines experienced year-over-year air cargo demand growth of 9.6% in March, the largest growth among regions. While capacity increased by 11.3% year-over-year.
While African regions saw a 13.4% year-over-year decline, the slowest among regions, capacity increased by 10.5% year-over-year.
Regarding destinations, IATA stated that Europe-North America was the busiest trade route in March. The largest trade route by market share, Asia-North America, also grew, possibly encouraged by the anticipated concentration of shipments before the tariff increase. Europe-Middle East and Africa-Asia were the only ones that decreased.
Meanwhile, lower fuel costs were also recorded, which is also a result of the same uncertainty and is a short-term positive for air cargo.
“Within the temporary pause in implementation, we hope that political leaders can shift trade tensions toward credible agreements that can restore confidence in global supply chains,” said Willie Walsh.
It’s worth noting that jet fuel prices fell 17.3% year-over-year, marking nine consecutive months of year-over-year declines.
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