IATA: Air Cargo off to a solid start in 2017

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for global air freight markets showing that demand, measured in freight tonne kilometers (FTKs), rose 6.9% in January 2017 compared to the year-earlier period. While this was down from the 10% annual growth recorded in December 2016 it still was well above the average annual growth rate of 3% over the past five years. Growth in freight capacity, measured in available freight tonne kilometers (AFTKs), slowed to 3.5% in January 2017. The continued positive momentum in freight growth into 2017 coincides with a steady rise in new export orders, which reached their