Global air cargo volumes rose five per cent year on year in the first full week of January 2026, continuing a strong start to the year, reported London's Air Cargo News.

Data provider WorldACD said the increase reflects a resumption of trends seen in 2025, when tonnages grew four per cent overall. Last year began slowly, with growth averaging two per cent in January and February, making early 2026 gains more notable.

Demand growth was led by a 16 per cent rise from Middle East and South Asia origins, followed by Asia Pacific up eight per cent and North America up seven per cent. However, WorldACD cautioned that the Middle East outlook remains uncertain as container shipping gradually resumes through the Red Sea.

Week-on-week volumes rebounded 26 per cent after steep declines at the end of 2025. The recovery was broad-based across all regions except Africa, supported by freighter aircraft returning to service.

Cargo capacity rose 15 per cent week-on-week but remains seven per cent below mid-December levels. Rates continued to soften, slipping two per cent to US$2.46 per kilo, about 10 per cent below mid-December but slightly above the same period last year.