A steadily upward growth trend over the forecast period, starting at 1.4 percent growth in 2012 and accelerating to 3.7 percent in 2016, forms the basis of IATA's upbeat assessment. The five fastest-growing international freight markets over the 2011-2016 period are expected to be Sir Lanka (8.7 percent), Vietnam (7.4 percent), Brazil (6.3 percent), India (6.0 percent) and Egypt (5.9 percent). Five of the 10 fastest-growing countries are in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region, reflecting its growing importance in international airfreight.

International freight demand will rise by three percent in the Asia-Pacific region. Routes within and connected to the Asia-Pacific region will comprise some 57 percent of cargo shipments, IATA believes. Europe will see the slowest growth of any region, at just 2.2 percent, while the predicted figure for North America is 2.4 percent. The Middle East will see the strongest growth, at 4.9 percent, while volumes in and out of Latin America and Africa are predicted to increase at 4.4 percent and four percent per year, respectively.

Read Full Article