perspectives & outlook experts’ voices
Chapter 3
regional outlook
From the Worst to the Strongest Performance, Air Cargo’s Upswing Story
A
ir cargo witnessed its strongest first half performance this year. Data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) for global air cargo markets for June displayed a 9.9 per cent improvement on pre-COVID-19 performance. “This pushed first half-year air cargo growth to eight per cent, its strongest first half performance since 2017 when the industry posted 10.2 per cent year-on-year growth,” IATA noted. Last year as the novel coronavirus grabbed the world, air cargo facilities came out to be the most resilient, especially with the medical cargo services, that were utilised by governments to transport the equipment, medicines, vaccines, etc internationally as well as within the country. As the demand increased, commercial airlines also converted their passenger planes to freighters.
This June, the grounding of passenger aircraft constrained the overall capacity at 10.8 per cent below pre-COVID-19 levels. Belly capacity was down 38.9 per cent on June 2019 levels, partially offset by a 29.7 per cent increase in dedicated freighter capacity, IATA noted.
2020, the worst for air cargo demand: IATA
Last year pretty much like the rest of the industry, air cargo sector also had a hard blow but eventually picked up in a remarkable manner. IATA observed 2020 as the worst year for air cargo demand noting the decrease in demand by 10.6 per cent in 2020, compared to 2019. This was the largest drop in yearon-year demand since IATA started to monitor cargo performance in 1990. Global capacity, shrank by 23.3 per cent in 2020 (‑24.1 per cent for interna-
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The first halfyear air cargo growth went to 8 per cent in June 2021, its strongest first half performance since 2017 when the industry posted 10.2 per cent year-onyear growth: IATA 9
www.spscivilaviationyearbook.com
SP’s CIVIL AVIATION YEARBOOK 2020-2021
aircraft specifications
By Ayushee Chaudhary
reference data & who’s who
india – a high growth market
Global air cargo markets for June 2021 displayed a 9.9 per cent improvement on pre-COVID-19 performance, the strongest first half performance since 2017. After the worst year for air cargo demand, 2020, the cargo boom in 2021 has been a display of resilience. As e-commerce expansions continue and economic condition improve, the air cargo boom is likely to establish a transitional position in the industry.
