Global air cargo traffic will record an increase of up to double in the next 20 years, which will entail the addition of close to 3,000 cargo aircraft, both new and converted, to absorb this increase in demand. With this, the global freighter fleet will exceed 4,000 aircraft in 2045, according to the latest forecast released by manufacturer Boeing.
This advance in air freight transport is linked to the diversification of the supply chain, the boom in e-commerce and the growing demand for technology associated with artificial intelligence. In this context, airlines are reconfiguring their route networks to adapt to the new trade flows and confront geopolitical tensions and disruptions.
According to the company, these elements will support an average annual expansion of air cargo traffic of 3.5% over the next two decades, a pace that will be above the growth forecast for the economy and global trade in the long term. Asia will be the main driver of this rebound and will account for around 60% of the global market.
Regarding the new cargo aircraft, around 55% of deliveries will be allocated to increasing available capacity, while approximately 45% will be used to replace older and less efficient aircraft. In addition, two-thirds of the new freighters will come from the conversion of passenger aircraft, and the remaining third will correspond to cargo models manufactured from scratch.
Global air freight traffic set an annual all-time high in 2025, after posting a rebound of nearly 5% year-on-year compared with the previous fiscal year, despite the context of volatility in trade exchanges and geopolitical tensions.
"As patterns of world trade change and demand grows for high-value goods with tight delivery times, specialized cargo aircraft will continue to be essential to global trade," said Boeing Commercial Marketing vice president Darren Hulst.