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Demand for global air freight falls in 2019 — IATA

By JT - Feb 05,2020 - Last updated at Feb 05,2020

AMMAN — The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said 2019 saw a drop in demand for global air freight markets, according to IATA’s 2019 data, released on Wednesday. Demand, measured in freight tonne kilometers fell by 3.3 per cent compared to 2018 while capacity rose by 2.1 per cent.

This was the first year of declining freight volumes since 2012 and the weakest performance since the global financial crisis in 2009 (when air freight markets contracted by 9.7 per cent). In December, cargo volumes contracted 2.7 per cent year-on-year while capacity rose 2.8 per cent.

Air cargo’s performance in 2019 was dampened by weak growth in global trade of just 0.9 per cent. Softer business and consumer confidence, along with falling export orders, also contributed to air freight struggles. However, there are signs that confidence and orders could pick up in 2020, but it is too early, according to IATA. “For sure, 2020 will be another challenging year for the air cargo business,” said Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO.

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