Global air cargo tonnages rebounded strongly in the first full week of 2026 in a manner similar to last year, but with chargeable weight around +5% above the equivalent levels a year ago, according to the latest weekly figures and analysis from WorldACD Market Data.

Worldwide air cargo tonnages in week 2 recorded a +26% week-on-week (WoW) rebound, following consecutive steep weekly drops of -22% and -19% at the end of last year, leaving worldwide tonnages still -20% below their mid-December levels, based on the more than 500,000 weekly transactions covered by WorldACD’s data. The strong rebound in week 2 can be seen across all origin regions except for Africa.

Capacity partially returned after freighter services were cut back sharply at the end of last year from their peak levels in the final quarter, as is normal for the season. Freighter capacity regained more than +15% in week 2, WoW, although overall air cargo capacity remains around -7% down compared with mid-December.

Average worldwide rates slipped downwards by a further -2%, WoW, to US$2.46 per kilo. That’s around -10% below their average level in mid-December, but it’s slightly above (+1%) the $2.43 full-market average rate this time last year.

The YoY worldwide tonnage growth of +5% in week 2 was led, in percentage terms, by increases in traffic from Middle East & South Asia (MESA, +16%), Asia Pacific (+8%), and North America (+7%) origins, although in absolute terms the biggest factor was a further YoY increase in cargo from Asia Pacific origins. That +8% YoY growth in cargo from Asia Pacific origins was in line with the average YoY increase in traffic from Asia Pacific origins of +8% for the full year in 2025.

Meanwhile, from Asia Pacific origins to Europe, tonnages in week 2 were up +15%, YoY, mainly driven by growth from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Thailand. But that very high YoY growth rate partly reflects a slow start last year in volumes from Asia Pacific to Europe: volumes from China and Hong Kong to Europe last January were up by a relatively modest +3%, but tonnages from Southeast Asia to Europe were down -17%, YoY, resulting in a slight decrease in overall Asia Pacific to Europe volumes in the first few weeks of 2025.