The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that global air cargo grew 7.7% in September 2026 compared to the same month in 2025.
“The strengthening of global trade and the manufacturing sector provided a favorable environment. Meanwhile, shipments related to artificial intelligence fueled another month of double-digit growth across the Pacific. But the main challenge remains cost,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President for Sustainability and Chief Economist.
He explained that aviation fuel prices have more than doubled compared to last year, but yields have not kept pace.
“Commercial transport volumes are not in short supply, but doing so profitably, with permanently high fuel prices, is becoming an increasingly greater challenge,” he explained.
According to IATA, aviation fuel costs rose 17.5% month-on-month in September , and were 103.4% more expensive compared to the previous year.
Although all regions experienced growth, North American airlines saw an 11.8% year-over-year increase in September 2026, the best performance globally. Capacity rose 0.8% year-over-year.
Meanwhile, Middle Eastern airlines showed a 3.8% year-on-year increase, the weakest performance globally. Capacity rose 7% year-on-year.
During the period, the Asia-North America corridor registered the greatest growth, followed by routes within Asia, Europe-North America, and Europe-Asia.
In contrast, corridors related to the Middle East continued to be under pressure , registering traffic declines on both the Europe-Middle East and Middle East-Asia routes.
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