25/11/2025
After the super-heated period of 2020–2022 driven by the pandemic, e-commerce remains the single biggest growth engine for air cargo. IATA projects that global air cargo demand in 2024 will grow by around 11.3% compared with 2023, setting a new record. The explosion of online orders and disruptions in ocean shipping are the two decisive factors behind this. Global e-commerce is estimated to reach 6.3 trillion USD in 2024; roughly 80% of cross-border orders already travel by air, and that share is likely to rise as buyers get used to “click today, receive in 2–3 days.” But even in the midst of this surge, the market is clearly entering a “post-bubble” phase, with sharp divergence between lanes and between regions.