International air cargo continues to freight ahead of the high numbers recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Data from RadarBox.com highlights that despite it’s single-digit percentages, the industry is performing well.
Without further ado, let’s get into it…
International Air Cargo Continues to Freight Ahead of COVID Peak…
For October 10-17, 3,612 international air cargo movements were recorded, which represents an increase of 7.66% for the freight-based industry compared to the same period last year.
Such a figure is 392 movements ahead of 2020’s numbers, 121 ahead of 2021 and 257 ahead of 2022’s numbers.
Below is the last four weeks’ worth of data based on the overall industry:
| Date | 2020 Numbers | 2021 Numbers | 2022 Numbers | 2023 Numbers | Percentage Difference (2023 vs. 2022) |
| September 12-19 | 3124 movements | 3437 movements | 3334 movements | 3723 movements | +11.67% |
| September 19-26 | 3164 movements | 3464 movements | 3450 movements | 3760 movements | +8.99% |
| September 26-October 3 | 3128 movements | 3447 movements | 3547 movements | 3716 movements | +4.76% |
| October 3-10 | 3060 movements | 3406 movements | 3505 movements | 3439 movements | -1.88% |
What we can see from this data is that the international air cargo & freight market continues to boom, and in most cases we see year-on-year increases four times in a row.
There was a lot of scepticism previously that cargo demand would die out post-COVID, but over the first full year or two of restrictions being lifted, this decline hasn’t been observed as heavily yet.
Many Advancements & Successes In This Industry This Year…
If we named every big event from this year, we would be here all day. That is how much of a great year the international air cargo & freight industry has had.
Airlines and operators have been setting down the foundations for what they believe to be prosperous business models going into the future.
Back in April, DHL Express placed an order for nine Mammoth Boeing 777-200LR freighters, and is part of their overall growth to modernisation, expansion and replacement.
Over in the U.S, Amerijet received two Boeing 767-300 Converted Freighters from ATSG on top of their March order for six additional 757-200 Freighters.
WestJet Cargo also acquired approval for their 737-800 Freighters, with Alaska Air Cargo receiving their first unit of the type as well.
A final example would be from AEI, who back in August completed their 600th freighter conversion as well, so the global demand for international air cargo & freight is clearly there.
Overall…
It remains clear that demand for international air cargo & freight opportunities continues to increase steadily.
Such data does highlight the significant growth that the sector has gone through over the last three to four years, irrespective of any concerns about it either slowing down or declining.
As operators continue to order aircraft, and companies continue conversions, this area of the aviation industry doesn’t seem to be out for the count just yet.
All eyes will be on how the sector will perform over the next few years, and to the end of the decade, that’s for sure.
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