While some markets are showing resilience, others are experiencing disruption due to labour disputes, weather events, and aircraft shortages. Analysts suggest that understanding these trends is critical for shippers and carriers alike, as the interplay of demand, capacity, and regulation continues to reshape the sector.
Global airfreight demand has recorded the strongest monthly growth since April 2025, particularly across Europe, intra-Asia Pacific routes, and markets outside Asia Pacific. Air freight demand and pricing are directly influenced by global economic performance and geopolitical factors. Trade policies, tariffs, and regional tensions collectively impact trade flows and market stability. This delicate equilibrium requires careful planning from airlines to manage both opportunities and risks effectively.
In Europe, airfreight volumes have remained robust, aided by additional bellyhold capacity from summer travel. Frankfurt Airport, for example, saw a three point seven percent year-on-year increase to approximately 179,000 tonnes. Despite reductions in freighter capacity, demand has held firm. European carriers cut roughly 115,000 tonnes of freighter capacity in the first half of 2025, but Asian carriers offset this with 132,000 tonnes on North East Asia–Europe routes. This compensation highlights how international coordination can stabilise trade flows, even when individual markets face operational reductions.
European airfreight has benefited from a strong summer travel season, which has freed up additional bellyhold capacity, helping to absorb fluctuations in demand. This blend of reduced freighter capacity and increased bellyhold space demonstrates the adaptability of the European market, which continues to support trade volumes across key routes despite wider economic pressures.
Asia presents a more complex picture. While Purchasing Managers’ Index data for China, Korea, and Japan weakened in July, India and South East Asia showed improvements, signalling stable but flat regional demand. Bellyhold recovery is driving modest capacity increases, but freighter availability remains constrained due to aircraft shortages and delivery delays. This bottleneck creates tension between available capacity and market needs, prompting carriers to carefully prioritise routes and shipments.
Even where demand exists, the challenge is in the operational side. Airlines are managing capacity meticulously, balancing new bellyhold space with ongoing freighter limitations. The result is a market that is cautiously optimistic, but still navigating logistical hurdles. The situation underscores the importance of strategic planning for carriers operating in Asia, where both growth potential and operational risk coexist.
In the Middle East and Africa, general market softness is balanced by strong sector-specific demand. Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar Airways are expanding services in pharmaceuticals, e-commerce, and temperature-controlled cargo. Stabilisation is expected in the third quarter, largely driven by the pharma and e-commerce sectors. These specialised markets are providing a buffer against broader economic fluctuations and driving investment in temperature-controlled technology.
In the Americas, operational disruptions have impacted capacity. In Canada, a flight attendants’ strike from 16 to 19 August resulted in over 1,000 cancellations, though AC Cargo mitigated the impact with contingency freighter flights. Some residual delays may persist. Meanwhile, severe weather in Mexico, including heat, rain, and flooding, has strained passenger capacity, but freighter payloads from Nuevo Laredo remain stable, demonstrating resilience in the cargo segment.
Globally, freighter capacity has been declining since February 2025, with the last four months showing double-digit reductions, while passenger bellyhold capacity has grown steadily at five percent. Regulatory changes are also on the horizon. IATA has formally requested that ICAO raise the mandatory pilot retirement age from 65 to 67, allowing one pilot to exceed 65 if the other is younger. This measure is designed to address growing demand and pilot shortages and will be reviewed at ICAO’s General Assembly on 23 September 2025.
Investments in technology are likewise shaping the sector. Envirotainer has invested in Swiss Airtainer to enhance sustainable, temperature-controlled airfreight containers for pharmaceuticals. These innovations are essential for the pharma sector, meeting both market demand and environmental standards. As August 2025 progresses, carriers must navigate these combined pressures, balancing demand, operational constraints, and innovation to maintain efficiency and competitiveness in a complex global airfreight landscape.
Source: https://aircargoweek.com/whats-shaping-airfreight-in-august-2025/
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