Cargo traffic weathers volcanic storm

According to the International Air Transport Association (Iata) international scheduled air traffic results for April, cargo traffic was less dramatically impacted by the volcanic ash cancellations than passenger traffic, but still saw the pace of its recovery slow to 25.2% growth – down from the 28.1% improvement recorded in March. “But the global purchasing managers’ index rose to its second highest level ever in April,” the report added, “indicating that the fundamentals of the airfreight business were not impacted by the crisis. “It is, however, nearing the end of the inventory cycle and freight growth is expected to slow down over the rest of the year.” European carriers showed the weakest growth at 8.3%, down from the 11.5% growth recorded in March. Poor economic performance prior to the ash crisis had seen European airlines lagging behind the rebound experienced by other regions. North American carriers recorded a 23.8% increase. While impressive, this was still below the 29.0% recorded in March. Asia-Pacific carriers, which make up 46% of international cargo operations, recorded growth of 33.2%, slightly below the 35.4% of March. Middle Eastern carriers saw their growth rate slow to 25.9% from the 35.5% recorded in March. Latin American carriers saw the largest increase in cargo demand for the second straight month with a 63.0% increase – an improvement on the 47.9% in March. African carriers also showed an improvement, to 54.6% in April from 51.4% in March.