Is Omicron the reason for the drop in air cargo traffic in June?
Although air cargo volumes fell again in June compared with recent months, the decline has eased. Among them, the influence of Omicron has a certain influence, but the war in Ukraine is also one of the reasons.
The latest statistics from the International Air Transport Association show that air cargo volumes, measured in cargo tonne kilometers (CTK), fell by 6.4% in June compared to the same period last year.
However, the airline association noted that the drop in demand in June was an improvement from the 11.2% and 8.3% declines in April and May, respectively.
IATA said trade activity rose slightly in June as Omicron’s lockdown eased in China and Latin America and Africa also boosted growth with stronger volumes.
New export orders, a leading indicator of freight demand and world trade, fell in all markets except China, where the war in Ukraine continued to affect markets.
Walsh said: “Air cargo demand in the first half of 2022 was 2.2% higher than pre-pandemic levels (first half of 2019). This is a strong performance, especially given ongoing supply chain constraints and capacity due to the war in Ukraine. loss.
The current economic uncertainty has little impact on demand for air cargo, but developments need to be closely monitored in the second half of the year.
In terms of regional performance, airlines in Latin America and Africa were the only airlines with an increase in demand.
Asia-Pacific airlines reported a 2.1% year-on-year decline in CTK for the month, although this was a “significant” improvement from May’s 6.6% drop.
European airlines saw the biggest drop in cargo traffic at 13.%, which IATA attributed to the war in Ukraine, labor shortages and reduced manufacturing activity in Asia due to Omicron.
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