Global airfreight volumes weakened during the first full week of August, with chargeable weight falling across every major origin region, according to the latest figures from WorldACD.
Global tonnage declined 4% in Week 32, covering 3–9 August, compared with the previous week. The downturn came alongside slight reductions in both air cargo capacity and pricing.
All major origin regions record declines
The sharpest weekly contraction came from the Middle East and South Asia (MESA), where tonnage fell 6%.
Europe and North America each recorded a 4% decline, while Asia Pacific volumes decreased 3%. Africa and Central and South America (CSA) both registered smaller 2% drops.
Despite the week-on-week slowdown, global air cargo traffic remained slightly ahead of last year. WorldACD recorded a 1% year-on-year increase in Week 32.
Most origin regions posted annual growth of between 1% and 2%, while Europe was the only major region to record a year-on-year decline, with traffic down 1%.
Market remains volatile but within a narrow range
The latest figures continue a pattern of alternating weekly growth and contraction. Over the past four weeks, global air cargo traffic has remained within a relatively narrow range rather than establishing a clear upward or downward trend.
Looking at the latest two-week period compared with the previous fortnight, total chargeable weight declined 1%.
Asia Pacific traffic decreased 2%, while North American volumes fell 3%. MESA and Europe each recorded 1% growth, while traffic from Central and South America and Africa remained broadly unchanged.
The latest figures point to a softer start to August for the global air cargo market, particularly on key Asia-Europe and Asia-US flows, while overall demand remains slightly above 2025 levels.
