Average air cargo rates for shipments originating in Africa rose 27% year on year in September while tonnage increased by 8%, according to WorldACD Market Data.
Rates from African origins also increased by 4% compared with August, exceeding the 1% monthly rise in global average rates, the market data provider reported in its October 12 update.
Worldwide cargo tonnage grew 9% year on year and 3% month on month in September. Asia Pacific and North America led annual volume growth at 10% each, followed by the Middle East and South Asia at 9%.
Global average rates were 25% higher than a year earlier. Disrupted markets and capacity, together with elevated fuel prices linked to the US-Iran conflict, continued to affect pricing, WorldACD said.
Capacity remained uneven across regions. Although worldwide capacity in the week ending October 4 was approximately 2% above its late-February level, capacity to and from the Gulf was still 17% lower.
For the third quarter, global tonnage increased 6% year on year. Average rates fell 7% from the second quarter’s elevated levels but remained 24% above a year earlier.
Trade flows also shifted. Combined tonnage from mainland China and Hong Kong to Europe fell 10% year on year in September while China-to-US volumes grew 17%.
WorldACD linked weaker China-Europe traffic to the removal of European Union low-value import exemptions from July 1, particularly affecting e-commerce shipments from Hong Kong and southern China.
