African airlines cut cargo capacity despite rising demand as Nigeria's $8B freight market strains under infrastructure limits

African airlines were the only global carriers to cut air cargo capacity in June 2026, with available space falling 7.1% year-on-year while freight demand rose 4.7%, according to IATA's latest report. This contrasts sharply with other regions: North American carriers expanded capacity by 13.1%, Asia-Pacific by 7.9%, Europe by 6.9%, Middle East by 5.6%, and Latin America by 9.8%—all despite similar demand growth. Nigeria's air freight market, estimated at over $8 billion by Aramex Nigeria MD Faisal Jarmakani, is driving much of Africa's cargo growth through e-commerce, SME trade, and diaspora shipments, with Lagos as the primary cargo hub and Abuja, Port Harcourt, and Kano as key gateways. However, Jarmakani cites airport processing delays, high handling charges, poor technology integration between agencies, and last-mile delivery challenges as critical constraints limiting sector efficiency. He notes that greater digitization, lower logistics costs, and improved warehousing could significantly boost competitiveness. Despite these hurdles, African airlines showed strong demand momentum throughout early 2026, with cargo traffic up 13.3% in May and 7.7% in April even as capacity fell. Will Nigerian businesses absorb higher shipping costs from infrastructure bottlenecks, or will they shift to alternative logistics routes as e-commerce and cross-border trade continue expanding?

SOURCE: https://nairametrics.com/2026/07/31/african-airlines-defy-global-trend-with-7-1-cargo-capacity-drop/