Airfreight volumes up 3.3% in April

April figures reinforced trends that emerged early in 2015, according to industry analyst World ACD.    Worldwide airfreight volumes increased 3.3 percent in April 2015 compared to April 2014, according to the latest figures from industry analyst World ACD. Volumes dropped 6 percent compared to March 2015, but World ACD said the decline was “in line with regular seasonal patterns.”
   In April, the best performing routes were those originating in Europe, which increased, and those with destinations North America, which increased 4.1 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively, compared to April 2014. 
   Overall volume growth for the first quarter of 2015 was nearly 4 percent year-over-year. Airfreight carriers in the Middle East and Asia fared the best in terms of volume growth, increasing 9 percent and 7 percent, respectively. World ACD noted the only origin area to decrease in volume was Latin America, which fell 3 percent year-over-year in the first quarter.
   Specifically, the air cargo market data analyst said, “North American carriers showed impressive growth in pharma (+26%), whilst carriers from Africa and the Middle East recorded remarkable growth in perishables (+13%).”
   Yields, measured in U.S. dollars, continued to drop, however, losing nearly 11 percent of their value from early 2014. Excluding surcharges, yields increased 1.4 percent in the first quarter compared to the same period a year ago.
   In terms of carrier performance, “only 6 of the Top-20 forwarders realized a revenue increase,” noted World ACD. “Not surprisingly, three of these are based in Japan, the best performing of the larger countries in terms of YoY-revenue increase.”