As global cargo volumes continued their downward spiral for the tenth consecutive month, African carriers posted the fastest growth of any region for the 11th consecutive month in January, according to the International Air Transport Association (Iata).
In a statement on Wednesday, Iata director-general Alexandre de Juniac said the Lunar New Year in China was always going to negatively impact air cargo volumes in January despite early indications of growth following successful US-China trade deal negotiations.
”The air cargo industry started the year on a weak footing. There was optimism that an easing of US-China trade tensions would give the sector a boost in 2020,” De Juniac said.
He added that although the coronavirus outbreak had not had a drastic impact on cargo performance for January, he believes the next couple of months will be exceptionally difficult for the industry.
Global cargo volumes were 3.3% lower in January than in the same month last year, while cargo capacity exceeded cargo demand for the 21st consecutive month.
This, however, had little impact in Africa with the region’s demand growing by 6.8% in January.
– Bjorn Vorster
