The global airfreight market has made a strong start to the year, with global freight tonne kilometres (FTKs) rising 4.5 per cent in January compared to the prior year period, according to the latest International Air Transport Association (IATA) figures.
This is a significant acceleration on the 2.2 per cent year-on-year growth rate recorded in December, and is well above the 1.4 per cent full-year growth reported for 2013 as compared to 2012, the IATA said in a statement.
Growth was solid across all regions, with Middle Eastern carriers growing the fastest (10.7 per cent). European airlines continued to benefit from Europe’s recovery from recession, posting 6 per cent growth. Carriers based in the Asia-Pacific region, which account for nearly 40 per cent of the global airfreight market, reported 3.8 per cent growth. This represents a major improvement over the 1 per cent contraction in 2013, the IATA said.
Commenting on the figures, 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.”
