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The Africa-Asia market was the only cargo trade lane which continued to post growth in March, with volumes up almost 10% year-on-year, the International Air Transport Association (Iata) said on Tuesday.
Its latest data shows that global demand, measured in cargo tonne kilometers, fell by 15.2% in March compared to the previous year. Global capacity, measured in available cargo tonne kilometers, shrank by 22.7% in March compared to the previous year.
Belly capacity for international air cargo, which accounts for 87% of the cargo market, shrank by 43.7% in March compared to the previous year. This was partially offset by a 6.2% increase in capacity through expanded use of freighter aircraft, including the use of idle passenger aircraft for all-cargo operations.
"At present, we don't have enough capacity to meet the remaining demand for air cargo. The gap must be addressed quickly because vital supplies must get to where they are needed most. For example, there is a doubling of demand for pharmaceutical shipments that are critical to this crisis, said Alexandre de Juniac, Iata's director general and CEO.
"With most of the passenger fleet sitting idle, airlines are doing their best to meet demand by adding freighter services, including adapting passenger aircraft to all-cargo activity. But mounting these special operations continues to face bureaucratic hurdles. Governments must cut the red tape needed to approve special flights and ensure safe and efficient facilitation of crew."
While there is an immediate capacity shortage, the collapsing economy is expected to further depress overall cargo volumes.
"The capacity crunch will, unfortunately, be a temporary problem. The recession will likely hit air cargo at least as severely as it does the rest of the economy. To keep the supply chain moving to meet what demand might exist, airlines must be financially viable. The need for financial relief for airlines by whatever means possible remains urgent," said de Juniac.
As of early April, Emirates SkyCargo has commenced cargo services to South Africa, with two passenger freighter flights per week between Dubai and Johannesburg.
For the financial year 2019/2020 Emirates SkyCargo helped export over 22 000 tonnes of cargo from South Africa, with the top export commodities being over 7 000 tonnes of fruits and vegetables, over 4 000 tonnes consisting of seafood and 1 800 tonnes comprising of different types of flowers with the top export destinations being UAE, Spain and the UK.
Between January and the start of April, Emirates SkyCargo globally transported more than 90 000 tonnes of perishables, over 20 000 tonnes of pharmaceuticals and around 3 000 tonnes of protective supplies including face masks for combatting Covid-19.
Over and above scheduled operations, Emirates SkyCargo has also operated an increasing number of special charter flights for cargo both on its freighter and passenger aircraft. The main commodities transported on the charter flights are medical supplies including face masks, protective covers, sanitisers, equipment for hospitals in addition to pharmaceuticals, raw materials, and spare parts.
