Air freight demand down "only" 1.1% in November
According to Iata, air fright demand, measured in freight tonne kilometres (FTKs), decreased by 1.1% in November 2019 compared to November 2018. This marks the thirteenth consecutive month of yoy declines in freight volumes. However, this performance was the best in eight months, with the slowest yoy rate of contraction recorded since March 2019, reflecting, in part, the growing importance of large e-commerce events such as "Singles Day" (11 November) and "Black Friday" (29 November).
European airlines posted a 2.6% increase in freight demand. Better than expected economic activity in Q3 in some of the region’s large economies helped support demand. African carriers posted the fastest growth of any region (+19.8%). Strong trade and investment links with Asia contributed to the positive performance. (ah)