Air cargo played a vital role in sustaining global trade and supporting economic growth in 2025 amid severe trade policy uncertainty, according to a report, released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
In fact, air cargo enabled the frontloading of $157 billion U.S. imports in the first quarter of 2025. And, air cargo transported more than two-thirds of global AI-related goods in 2025.
“Air cargo is a structural component of global economic resilience. In 2025, it helped businesses absorb tariff shocks, enabled rapid trade restructuring, and supported the expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) investment, helping sustain trade and economic growth in a challenging year,” says Julia Seiermann, IATA’s head of industry analysis.
Key takeaways:
· In 2025, average applied U.S. tariff rates rose to around 17%—their highest level since the 1930s—with frequent policy shifts and increased trade friction. Many companies used air cargo to pre-empt tariffs by accelerating shipments.
· In the first quarter of 2025, U.S. imports rose by $193 billion year-on-year, a 26% increase. The surge was overwhelmingly concentrated in air transport. The value of imports by air in the first quarter increased 81% year-on-year, totaling $157 billion (82% of the $193 billion Q1 increase).
· Air cargo’s ability to enable the rapid geographical reallocation of high-value and time-sensitive trade in response to policy shocks was clearly demonstrated. During the April-December 2025 period, air cargo benefited from expanding trade lanes more than it was impacted by those trade lanes which contracted.
· For the United States, on expanding trade lanes, imports increased by $213 billion of which $174 billion (82%) was carried by air. Meanwhile, on contracting trade lanes, U.S. imports declined by $257 billion of which $77 billion (30%) was normally carried by air cargo. In Europe, a similar pattern was observed: air cargo carried 48% of gains on expanding lanes but only 3% of losses on contracting ones.
· As AI investment surged in 2025, air cargo delivered high-value, time-sensitive equipment such as servers, data storage units, and memory chips. More than two-thirds of the value of AI-related trade was carried by air. Air cargo consignments of AI-related goods grew 20% year-on-year. And, AI-related goods accounted for 53.5% of the total value of air-transported trade, while representing just 7% of its volume.
“The rapid increase in demand for AI-related goods in 2025 was met thanks to air cargo, allowing investment to translate into economic activity rather than being constrained by logistics. As economies increasingly and strategically rely on high-value technology goods, air cargo will continue to play a critical role in ensuring their timely delivery,” says Seiermann.
