African airlines recorded an annual increase of 3 per cent in freight demand in August 2026, compared with a 14 per cent increase in capacity. This resulted in a decrease in the filling coefficient, while freight traffic between Africa and Asia decreased by 11.9 per cent over the period.
Air cargo demand by African airlines increased by 3 per cent in August 2026 compared to the same month of 2025, according to data published by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
At the same time, the capacity offered by carriers on the continent increased by 14 per cent, the largest increase among the various regions covered by IATA. This resulted in a 3.9-point decrease in the filling coefficient to 36.5%. Africa accounted for 2.1 per cent of the global air cargo market in 2025, measured in tonnes-kilometres of cargo transported (TK).
Global demand increased by 4.4 per cent in August, with an increase of 5.3 per cent for international operations. Global capacity decreased slightly by 0.1 per cent, while international capacity increased by 0.1 per cent.
As a result, demand growth in Africa is below the global average, while African carriers have significantly increased their supply. By comparison, demand grew by 6.6 per cent in North America, 5.1 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean, 4.3 per cent in Asia and the Pacific and 4.1 per cent in Europe.
However, trade on certain routes remains under pressure. Freight traffic between Africa and Asia decreased by 11.9 per cent over one year in August, recording a third consecutive month of contraction. This link represents 1.3% of the global air cargo market.
On the other hand, several other major routes have increased, notably Asia-North America (+13.2%), intra-Asian traffic (+6.1 %), Europe-North America (+4.3 %) and Europe-Asia (+3.1 %). Links involving the Middle East remain affected by conflict-related disturbances in the region.
However, the global environment remains favourable for air cargo. Merchandise trade grew by 6% year-on-year in July, for a 33rd consecutive month of growth, while world manufacturing continued to support demand in August.
However, operating costs remain high: the price of aviation fuel increased by 8.3% over one month in August and by 79.2% over one year. According to IATA, freight yields have increased for the first time since April, while carriers are approaching the period of high activity at the end of the year.
