Air cargo market in the USA and the world

How the air cargo market is evolving, and what airline analysts think about the air cargo market.

Air cargo market
Against the backdrop of economic growth around the world, the air cargo market is also growing. The development of e-commerce is also contributing to the growth. The air cargo market is predicted to grow by more than 3% annually.

Several times a year, during the holidays, there is a buying explosion and demand for goods doubles. Business requires high speed transportation of goods over long distances, and it is cargo planes that solve this problem.

Every year the volume of air cargo is increasing. Annual growth in the air cargo market will not stop, but compared with the previous decade it will slow down a little. It is expected to be about 3.4%.

The Impact of Passenger Air Cargo on the Business of Cargo Companies
Half of all cargo volume is handled by passenger airplanes and 50% is handled by cargo airplanes. For example: a passenger Boeing 777-300ER can be loaded with 30t – the volume of cargo Boeing 757. Therefore, the air route network should combine both types of aircraft, so that the large cargo was delivered to the hub by the cargo company, and from there in smaller batches it was delivered by passenger aircraft.

The trend towards specialization by type of cargo
One might assume that cargo airlines need to focus on one type of cargo: drugs, groceries, animals, oversized cargo. In reality, airlines are focusing on the quality of transportation and are willing to accept cargo of all categories.

Increasing the fleet of cargo planes
Boeing predicts that the global fleet will exceed 3,000 freighters. The fleet growth will be fueled by brand new aircraft received straight from the factories. New planes will account for one-third of the total number.

It is worth keeping in mind that the fleet needs periodic renewal of ships. Aircraft life depends on the number of hours in flight, and cargo ships do not stay on the ground long. On average, a cargo plane lasts from 20 years.

Which aircraft capacity is more in demand?
Airbus analysts believe that the market is most in demand for medium-capacity aircraft. According to the data, the demand for them is increasing every year.

In turn, analysts from Boeing predict that the greatest need will be for large-capacity aircraft with a payload of more than 80 tons.

Demand exists for both, but 53% of new aircraft will have a payload capacity of more than 80t, and the remaining 47% will have an average payload capacity of 40t to 80t.