PUBLISHER: MarketLine | PRODUCT CODE: 2137303
PUBLISHER: MarketLine | PRODUCT CODE: 2137303
Global Air Freight industry profile provides top-line qualitative and quantitative summary information including: market share, sector size (value and volume , and forecast to 2030). The profile also contains descriptions of the leading players including key financial metrics and analysis of competitive pressures within the sector.
Air freight is a mode of transportation that involves the movement of goods and cargo through the airways.
The market is segmented into domestic and international. Domestic air freight refers to the transportation of goods and cargo via airplanes within the same country. International air freight covers the transportation of goods and cargo via airplanes across borders to different countries.
The market volume is measured in freight ton-kilometers (FTK). Freight ton-kilometers is a unit of measurement used to calculate the total weight of freight transported over a distance. The market volume covers freight, express, and diplomatic bags, including both domestic and international freight which are counted at each flight stage.
All market data and forecasts are based on nominal prices and all currency conversions used in the creation of this report have been calculated using yearly annual average exchange rates. The USD values may show a declining trend for few countries such as Argentina, Turkey, Nigeria, Egypt, and Russia. This is primarily because of the impact of exchange rates considered.
The global air freight sector recorded a value of $116,423.4 million in 2025, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.9% between 2020 and 2025.
Sector consumption volume increased with a CAGR of 6.3% between 2020 and 2025, reaching a total of 224,976.9 million FTK in 2025.
The sector's consumption volume growth during 2020-25 was driven by a rise in external trade activity. For instance, according to GlobalData, in 2025, the external trade in the US reached $7,723,902.3 million, up by 9.1%, compared to $4,996,492.5 million in 2020.