In 2002, air freight shipments were valued at over $770 billion, nearly double the $395 billion total for 1993. And this growth is expected to continue as U.S. international trade grows and demand for timely deliveries increase.
Although air freight's overall tons and ton-miles totals remains small (less than 1 percent) compared to annual totals for other transportation modes, use of air cargo continues to grow. From 1993 to 2002, totals for tonnage grew about 46 percent and totals for ton-miles—by about 63 percent.
The value of goods shipped—by U.S. business also grew, from $56,000 per ton in 1993 to $75,000 per ton in 2002. And because most air shipments begin and end their journeys by truck, air freight growth creates growth in truck and intermodal services.
