Even as air passenger demand continues to contract worldwide, operators might be seeing a reprieve in freight operation as demand for cargo has returned to the pre-COVID levels.
This indication emerged from the January 2021 data for global air cargo released yesterday by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
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The data showed that January demand also showed strong month-to-month growth over December 2020 levels.
The report further showed that African airlines’ cargo demand soared 22.4 per cent compared to the same month in 2019, eclipsing the 6.3% year-over-year increase for December 2020.
This was attributed to the “robust expansion on the Asia-Africa trade lanes”.
Global demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs), was up 1.1% compared to January 2019 and +3% compared to December 2020.
According to the data, “conditions in the manufacturing sector remain robust despite new COVID-19 outbreaks that dragged down passenger demand.”
IATA’s Director General and CEO, Alexandre de Juniac confirming that air cargo traffic is back to pre-crisis levels described the trend as the “much-needed good news for the global economy.”
Speaking with Daily Trust, Managing Director of Skyway Aviation Handling Company, Mr Basil Agboarumi confirmed that cargo operation especially in terms of export is growing exponentially.
