Top 10 Leading International Freight Markets Of The Future!

With the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicting that international freight volumes will increase by three percent each year between 2012 and 2016, it seems the cargo market is one to watch!

The worldwide figure was revealed in a press release to coincide with the launch of IATA’s Airline Industry Forecast 2012-2016 earlier this week. According to the global association, a total of 34.5 million tonnes will be carried in 2016, which is 4.8 million tonnes more than 2011 volumes.

The press release also included a more specific breakdown, looking at which countries will have the largest share of the international market in 2016. Of course, most of the rankings are somewhat predictable, although a couple have the potential to surprise.

By 2016, the largest international freight markets will be:

1. United States (7.7 million tonnes)
2. Germany (4.2 million tonnes)
3. China (3.5 million tonnes)
4. Hong Kong (3.2 million tonnes)
5. Japan (2.9 million tonnes)
6. United Arab Emirates (2.5 million tonnes)
7. Republic of Korea (1.9 million tonnes)
8. United Kingdom (1.8 million tonnes)
9. India (1.6 million tonnes)
10. Netherlands (1.6 million tonnes)

As expected, the United Arab Emirates is leading the Middle East market and has been positioned at number 6 on a global scale – impressive stuff!

It might be joined by neighbouring countries in the more distant future, as five of the 10 fastest growing international freight markets over the 2011-2016 period are in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), which IATA states is reflective of the region’s “growing importance in international air freight”. The best performer from the MENA region in the coming years, it seems, will be Egypt.

IATA's press release can be found here.