Global air cargo traffic rose 4.4% year over year in August, measured in cargo ton kilometers (CTKs), even as trade lanes tied to the Middle East contracted sharply, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Every region posted CTK growth. Middle East carriers recorded the weakest result, up just 1%. North American carriers led with a 6.6% year-over-year increase, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean at 4.1%, Europe at 4.1% and Africa at 3%.

Capacity told a different story. Global air cargo capacity, measured in available ton kilometers (ATKs), fell 0.1% year over year in August. Demand growth against flat capacity tightened load factors, which helped carriers absorb a fuel bill that IATA describes as exceptionally high.

"Strong demand and higher load factors helped airlines to recoup some of the exceptionally high fuel costs," IATA Chief Economist Marie Owens Thomsen said.

The fuel pressure was severe. August jet fuel prices were up 79.2% year over year, according to IATA's data.

The strongest trade lane was Asia-North America, the world's largest air cargo market with a 23.5% share. CTKs on that lane rose 13.2% year over year in August, the seventh consecutive month of growth. Asia-Europe, the second-largest lane with a 21.5% share, grew 3.1%, extending its run to 42 consecutive months of growth.

Intra-Asia cargo traffic grew 6.1% year over year, the 34th straight month of expansion on that market.

The Iran war's impact is visible on the Middle East-connected lanes. Europe-Middle East CTKs fell 12.1% year over year in August, and Asia-Middle East declined 11%. Both lanes have now contracted for six consecutive months, a sustained downturn that offsets the headline growth elsewhere and underscores how conflict-driven disruption is reshaping traffic flows around the Gulf.

The August figures present carriers with a familiar squeeze: demand and load factors are rising, capacity is static, and fuel costs have nearly doubled in a year. For freighter operators and belly-cargo airlines alike, yield conditions remain favorable, but the Middle East contraction shows how quickly geopolitical risk can erase growth on specific lanes.

IATA's next monthly cargo reports will show whether the Asia-North America and Asia-Europe lanes can sustain their multi-year growth streaks while Middle East-linked markets continue to shrink.