While about a third of air cargo shipments are sent via dedicated freighters, most are shipped in the bellies of passenger aircraft. As carriers continue to add more efficient wide-body aircraft to their fleets, cargo capacity is growing to match rising demand – and competitive rates mean that more exporters are seeing the value of shipping by air. This provides airlines with additional revenues, strengthening the viability of international routes while opening up potential new markets for Canadian manufacturers and agricultural producers.
As global supply chains grow in scope and complexity, the goods most economically transported by air tend to be lightweight, compact and high in value. Worldwide, it’s estimated that three per cent of air shipments account for about 35 per cent of trade value. That’s certainly true at Toronto Pearson, as the connections we provide to support the flow of people, services and capital prove equally crucial in moving a wide array of high-value products – from biotech and robotics-based innovations created in Ontario and Quebec to resource and energy technologies developed in Alberta and B.C.
In 2018, shipments from Toronto Pearson to international markets – which account for about three-quarters of the total – grew by 3.4 per cent, year over year. Since 2014, total air cargo volume has increased at a compound annual growth rate of about 5.2 per cent.
Gold Award for Cargo Excellence
Toronto Pearson won Gold at the 2018 Air Cargo Excellence Awards, which recognized our outstanding performance among airports handling between 400,000 and one million tonnes of goods annually.