This article appeared in simplyflying.com

The global pandemic forced the world to move towards e-commerce, resulting in an overall increase in air cargo demand. Electronic trades of consumer goods generally require express delivery and, hence, are categorized as express cargo. On the other side of this coin, general air cargo has seen a considerable decrease in recent months. While passenger demand is continuously rising in most regions worldwide, general cargo is facing subdued demand conditions.

In its 2023 Global Market Forecast, Airbus stated that express air cargo will outpace general air cargo in the next two decades. Strongly driven by e-commerce, express cargo will significantly contribute to the world’s total air cargo traffic in the coming years.

General air cargo includes consumer goods that are usually carried in large containers or pallets and sit within the cargo compartments of airliners. Such items do not require any special attention but instead are part of the everyday transport between cities and countries. According to the International Air Transportation Association (IATA),

Today’s world economics relies heavily on air cargo. Whether transporting everyday consumer goods, food and beverages, livestock, or equipment and machinery, air cargo is the most convenient method. Airbus states that in 2019, the global air cargo traffic was 250 billion Freight Tonne Kilometers (FTK). Of these, 83% (208 billion FTK) was general cargo, and the remaining 17% (42 billion FTK) was express cargo.

It is relatively simple to see that general cargo currently dominates the market. Airbus forecasts a thriving 108% growth in global FT by 2042, totaling 520 billion FTK. From 2019 to 2042, international cargo will have a combined annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.2%.

In 2042, express cargo will contribute 25% (130 billion FTK) to global cargo traffic. Consequently, the general air cargo market will reduce to 75% (390 billion FT) of the total cargo traffic. It also means that the CAGR of express cargo operations between 2019 and 2042 will be 4.9%, whereas general cargo will have a CAGR of just 2.7% during the same period. While general cargo will dominate in the foreseeable future, the almost double CAGR of express cargo traffic is indeed striking.