Travel

COVID-19: Impact on air cargo capacity

December 7, 2020

The state of air cargo and global trade

The COVID-19 pandemic is a health and humanitarian crisis, and it is also an economic shock. We will be providing weekly updates throughout the COVID-19 crisis on air cargo capacity changes based on actual flight movements.

With our comprehensive, reliable and up-to-date demand and supply databases, Seabury Consulting, now part of Accenture's travel industry practice, is able to provide insights and data on air, express and ocean freight demand and capacity on a global basis.

Belly capacity is increasing during Q4 and is currently 'only' down 57% of 2019 levels

Over the last two weeks, 10,000 tonnes of air cargo capacity have been added; 11,000 tonnes correspond to increases in widebody belly and 7000 to integrators' capacity, offset by a 7,700 decrease in airline freighter.

Chart showing daily international cargo capacity

Direct capacity only; All freighters and widebody passenger aircraft only, Date measured in UTC time; 1) Corrected for day-of-week fluctuations, smoothened for clarification; 2) Comparing 11 – 22 Nov 2020 to 13 - 24 Nov 2019; 3) Comparing the daily average for 11 - 22 Nov 2020 vs. 30 Mar – 5 Apr 2020; Source: Seabury Consulting, Part of Accenture Capacity Tracking database, Seabury Consulting, Part of Accenture analysis (December 2020)

Europe outbound capacity has increased primarily to Asia in the last two weeks

Europe capacity to Asia Pacific grew by 6%. China remains as the main destination from Europe, with an increase of 2,100 tonnes in the last two weeks compared to the previous two weeks.

Europe outbound international capacity comparison

Direct international capacity only; All freighters and widebody passenger aircraft only; 1) Comparing 9 - 22 Nov 2020 vs 26 Oct - 8 Nov 2020; Source: Seabury, Part of Accenture Capacity Tracking database, Seabury Consulting, Part of Accenture analysis (December 2020)