African airlines posted the strongest global growth in air cargo volumes for August, with an 11 per cent year-on-year surge, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The increase was driven by rising Africa-Asia traffic and a shift from sea to air freight, reported Geneva's Ecofin Agency.

Capacity for African carriers rose 12.3 per cent, supported by an 8.4 per cent increase in traffic on the Africa-Asia corridor. The region outpaced all others in monthly growth.

Asia-Pacific followed with a 9.8 per cent rise, while North America, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America posted modest gains of between 2.1 and 3.2 per cent. Global air cargo volumes rose 4.1 per cent, marking six consecutive months of annual growth.

IATA attributed the trend to new U.S. tariffs prompting shippers to move high-value goods by air to avoid trade disruptions. Director General Willie Walsh said freight is shifting away from North America toward other trade lanes.

Mr Walsh noted increased demand on Europe-Asia, Intra-Asia, Africa-Asia and Middle East-Asia routes, calling the shift an adaptive response to evolving U.S. tariff policies.

If current momentum holds, IATA expects global air cargo traffic to grow 5.8 per cent in 2025. This follows an 11.3 per cent rise in 2024, with African carriers up 8.5 per cent.