China Air Cargo Volume Tops 10 Million Tonnes for First Time in 2025

The composition matters more than the headline: international routes drove growth at roughly twice the overall rate and now account for over 40% of volume, while the route and fleet buildout shows this is capacity being added deliberately, not just demand filling existing space. That mix points to cross-border e-commerce and air freight as the real engine, a segment where air cargo competes directly with sea and rail on time-sensitive goods. The open question is whether international growth keeps outpacing domestic as new routes mature, and how much of this capacity is tied to trade lanes that could shift.