The air cargo processed at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport recorded a year-on-year drop of 10% in July, which represents the most intense decline noted so far in 2026.
This result is directly linked to the decline in traffic with Asia and the Middle East, according to the latest Flash Report from the Madrid Air Cargo Observatory, prepared by Foro MADCargo together with the Madrid Logistics Agency.
The figures for July deepen the slowdown that the entity had been observing during the first half of the year. The second quarter closed with a decrease of 0.91%, which marked the first negative quarterly variation for the Madrid market since the first three months of 2021.
The document highlights as one of the most relevant data the 24% decrease in the cargo transported on dedicated freighter aircraft compared to July 2025.
As a consequence of this adjustment, the market share of freighter aircraft over the total volume of cargo managed in the capital was reduced to 35%, losing prominence compared to the levels reached in previous months.
This evolution is largely explained by what happened in the Asian and Middle Eastern corridors, regions that concentrate a very significant part of the cargo operations at Barajas.
The current figures contrast with the scenario from a year ago, when air cargo in Madrid grew by 9% in July 2025, driven by strong increases from Asia (+45%) and the Middle East (+22%), precisely the two markets that now lead the declines.
Falls of up to 38% in Doha
By geographical areas, operations with Asia decreased by 28% year-on-year in July, while those with the Middle East fell by 27%. This impact is also evident in the main cargo routes of the airport.
Doha, one of the most important hubs for transferring goods to or from the Asian continent, suffered a collapse of 38%.
In turn, the connection with Abu Dhabi recorded a drop of 24% and the one with Istanbul contracted by 15%, while Beijing ceased to appear among the ten main cargo routes of Barajas during that period.
Resistance in the American continent
In contrast, the behavior of goods has not been homogeneous across all international connections.
In the face of the decline of routes with Asia and the Middle East, the cargo with origin or destination in North America increased by 12% year-on-year in July.
At the same time, flows with Latin America advanced by 1%, reinforcing its strategic role within the cargo connectivity network of the Madrid airport in light of the slowdown detected in other global corridors.
The Madrid Air Cargo Observatory has indicated that it will continue monitoring these indicators to determine whether the result of July is a one-off adjustment or, on the contrary, points to a more prolonged redistribution of goods flows on an international scale.