Freight Tonne Kilometre (FTK) and Available Tonne Kilometre (ATK) are good measures for demand and supply in the air cargo industry. For example, FTK measures freight carried (in tons) multiplied by the distance it is carried (in km), so it includes a distance component. The combination of FTK and ATK is a good yard stick for the performance of the industry. The bar chart below shows the Year-on-Year change for FTK and ATK.
Over the past four months FTK has increased slightly more compared to ATK, resulting in a positive difference between FTK and ATK for the first time since May 2021. This positive difference indicates that freight carried is growing at a higher pace than the available capacity. In fact, the long-term trend of the difference between the two measures (FTK minus ATK) provides good insight in the trend of the air cargo industry. This is shown in the second chart below.
We have also included the worldwide development of rates in this chart, which shows the correlation between rates and the difference between FTK & ATK growth.
