Global air freight market records steady expansion
Cross-border e-commerce, perishables and high-value electronics continue to drive air-cargo growth, with Indian gateways recording one of the fastest expansion rates in Asia.
Global air-cargo volumes continued their steady expansion through the first quarter of 2026, with industry trackers reporting mid-single-digit growth on most major lanes. Indian gateways, led by Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, recorded growth rates meaningfully above the regional average, supported by rising e-commerce exports and pharmaceutical shipments.
The structural drivers behind the segment have not changed materially: cross-border online retail, time-sensitive perishables and high-value electronics continue to make up the bulk of incremental tonnage. What has shifted is the willingness of shippers to pay a premium for guaranteed capacity, a behaviour cemented during the pandemic-era disruptions and now persisting into more normalised conditions.
Belly-hold capacity has recovered as international passenger traffic returns to pre-2020 levels, but dedicated freighter capacity remains tight on several Asia–Europe and India–Gulf lanes. That continues to support yields for established operators while creating room for newer entrants focused on regional and feeder routes.
On the ground, the bigger story is digitisation. Airline cargo arms, ground handlers and large freight forwarders are accelerating investments in shared booking platforms, real-time tracking and customs pre-clearance. The benefits are tangible: faster dwell times, fewer offloads and meaningfully improved on-time performance for the shippers who plug into these systems.
Analysts expect air-cargo growth to remain in the mid-single-digit range globally through 2027, with India and Southeast Asia continuing to outperform. For Indian exporters of perishables, pharma and value-added engineering goods, that translates into a more dependable — and increasingly digital — gateway to overseas markets.