Airlines
Air Cargo Saw Record Decline in Demand in 2020
A 10.6 percent drop in demand for air cargo accompanied a 23.3 percent fall in capacity, generating higher yields for airlines.
Demand for air cargo took a steep dip in 2020, but yields and load factors improved as carriers like United adjusted capacity to take account of severely diminished passenger traffic. (Photo: United)
Demand for air cargo took a steep dip in 2020, but yields and load factors improved as carriers like United adjusted capacity to take account of severely diminished passenger traffic. (Photo: United)

Global air freight demand last year registered its steepest decline since the International Air Transport Association (IATA) started to monitor cargo performance in 1990, the industry group reported Wednesday. Data for global air freight markets showed that demand decreased by 10.6 percent in 2020 compared with a year earlier, outpacing a 6 percent fall in the global trade of goods.