The many facets of air cargo in Q1
The chargeable weight flown as air cargo worldwide in the first quarter of 2023 ended up 11% below that of the equivalent period last year (Q1/2022), according to market data released by World ACD.
But there is tremendous variation globally, depending on factors such as origin point or region, product type, shipment weight, and whether cargo was flown in a freighter or in passenger units’ bellies.
An examination of the demand profiles of different shipment weight bands is also rather revealing. It shows a continuing trend towards smaller shipments, which correlates to the ongoing growth of e-commerce. Shipments up to 1 t increased by 3% year-on-year, whilst those in the 1-5 t bracket decreased by 5%. The number of shipments greater than 5 t also decreased significantly in Q1, namely by 18%. (ah)