Middle East air freight edges up despite slowdown

Middle East carriers posted a modest 0.6% air cargo demand rise in Sept despite regional disruptions. According to the latest IATA data, cargo capacity grew 5.5%, but utilisation weakened, with Asia-bound trade still rising, while Europe routes fell due to geopolitical tensions. While cargo capacity in the Middle East expanded by 5.5 per cent year-on-year, the Cargo Load Factor (CLF) fell by 2.2 percentage points to 45.4%, highlighting weaker utilisation despite additional capacity.