IATA: Kazakhstan consolidating its position as primary gateway for air cargo

IATA Economics reported (29-May-2026) the global air cargo map is evolving with "new corridors growing in importance", noting Central Asia is "transitioning into an intercontinental bridge". Details include:

• Regional volumes in Central Asia more than doubled since 2019. In comparison, Hong Kong remained "broadly stable" and Frankfurt declined approximately 5%. Central Asia's scale rose from just under one 10th of Hong Kong's throughput to nearly one fifth, and from less than one fifth of Frankfurt's volumes to more than two fifths;
• Much of this expansion stemmed from direct transit, mirroring the Anchorage technical stop model. The share of such movements increased from 59% to around 65% of total air cargo in the region. International inbound and outbound cargo also increased, although inbound flows remain "substantially larger";
• Across the combined inbound, outbound, and direct transit segments, Kazakhstan consolidated its position as the primary gateway as total volumes increased 149% in 2024, compared to 2019;
• Uzbekistan was the fastest growing market, expanding by 182% over the same period and overtaking Kyrgyzstan due to "helpful infrastructure investments". The increase in outbound volumes in 2024 also suggests that the region is "evolving beyond simple technical stopovers toward more active connections and consolidation functions linking Europe and China";
• IATA stated Central Asia's rise "highlights how airspace constraints and the resulting network optimisation are redistributing traffic toward new intermediary corridors". While direct transit stops may generate limited local economic spillovers, sustained growth in inbound, outbound, and connecting flows strengthens the airport ecosystems and regional logistics capabilities over time. [more - original PR]