Total world air freight grows 9.6pc in October

THE total volume of air freight handled worldwide in October 2010 grew by 9.6 per cent compared to the same month a year earlier, with international freight increasing by 12 per cent and domestic freight rising by 3.9 per cent, according to Airport Council International (ACI) member airports.

Air passenger demand grew in October by 7.7 per cent year on year, reports Australia's MICEBTN (Meetings Incentives Conference Events Business Trave News) news site.

It noted that in the first 10 months of the year, total freight grew by 19.5 per cent, with international freight rising by 25.1 per cent and member countries' domestic freight increasing by 9.3 per cent.

"In the cabins, ACI said, growth remained weak or negative in markets including Japan, UK and Mexico as well as at some US airports, but still, they out-performed previous lows," the report said.

"Russia, South Korea, Argentina and Brazil were at the forefront of October results, while Shanghai continued to outperform other Chinese airports.

"Some Spanish airports also reported solid double-digit growth, defying the flat national economy," it said.

The two largest international air freight markets, Asia Pacific and Europe, registered year on year increases in October of 12.4 and 15.8 per cent, respectively. For the 10 month year-to-date period they saw increases of 27.5 and 23 per cent respectively.

Only Latin America-Caribbean recorded a decline in October of -1.06 per cent.