Middle Eastern carriers posted double-digit air freight growth during January, according to data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Tuesday.
The region’s airlines saw cargo volumes grow by 10.7 percent year-on-year on the back of the growth in Europe and other regions.
IATA said in a statement: “In addition, carriers in the region continue to expand their networks and capacity. Capacity growth, though, remained broadly in line with demand, increasing 11.5 percent.”
Globally, IATA reported a strong rise in air freight growth compared to a year ago. Global freight tonne kilometres (FTKs) rose 4.5 percent in January compared to January 2013.
This was a significant acceleration on the 2.2 percent year-on-year growth rate recorded in December, and was well above the 1.4 percent full-year growth reported for 2013 as compared to 2012.
Growth was solid across all regions, with Middle Eastern carriers growing the fastest. European airlines continued to benefit from Europe’s recovery from recession, posting six percent growth.
Carriers based in the Asia-Pacific region, which account for nearly 40 percent of the global air freight market, reported 3.8 percent growth. This represents a major improvement over the one percent contraction in 2013.
Tony Tyler, IATA’s Director General and CEO, said: “The improvement in demand is good news. It is a step-up in pace from the mild strengthening that we saw towards the second half of 2013.
“And in real terms, volumes are similar to the 2010 post-recession peak. But there is also ample reason to be cautious. Protectionist measures are part of the reason for a slower expansion of world trade than we would expect from current levels of industrial production.”
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