The cargo holds of aircraft plying the China-US route recently have been bulging with one of the must-haves of 2009 - Apple's iPhone 3G, the South China Morning Post reported.
But while the pick-up in demand for air cargo appears to indicate the worst is over for the sector, a total recovery is still a long way off.
That rising demand for air cargo has not come with a commensurate recovery in freight rates has some industry watchers asking whether there has been a fundamental change in the industry.
The main fear is that lucrative long-term contracts are being replaced by less profitable short-term contracts.
Most freight forwarders and airlines agree they have experienced the worst period of the slump. The drop in cargo tonnage continues to narrow, offering a glimpse of hope that buying confidence has started to revive across the globe.
Recently, cargo space on some routes were nearly full, partly because of massive shipments of Apple's new 3G phones from China to the United States, Australia and the rest of the Asia-Pacific region.
The International Air Transport Association said the bottom in the air cargo market was reached in December but the stabilisation only reflected a topping out of the massive rise in business inventory.
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