Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association that represents a large proportion of the world’s air gateways, has released its World Airport Traffic Forecasts 2016-40, looking ahead to what the next 25 years have in store in terms of both passenger and freight flows.
In terms of cargo, looking back at recent performance, ACI World director general Angela Gittens, informed: “The weakened global economy and a sluggish global trade environment were definite deterrents to growth in air cargo volumes.
“There also continues to be a structural substitution effect in the delivery of goods across modes of transport, even in the face of strong economic fundamentals.
“While the shipment of raw materials and perishables have been affected the most by a move away from air cargo services to ocean freight, the modal shift can also be seen in shipments of high-tech and machinery parts,” she explained.
“The largest trade flow from Asia has experienced the weightiest shift away from air cargo. Thus, in the short to medium terms, global air cargo volumes are expected to increase modestly, in the realm of 2.4% on annualised basis up to 2025,” Gittens predicted.
The latest monthly figures for airfreight flows produced by ACI this year cover July. Airfreight demand increased by 3.9% year on year in that month. However, over the first seven months of 2016, cargo demand at airports was down 1% year on year.
