Global Air Freight Returns To Growth In August

Global demand for air freight returned to slight growth but the challenges that led to declines in June and July still pose a risk for the coming months.

Air freight volumes edged up 0.2 percent compared with the previous year, against a 0.6 percent decline in July, IATA said in its monthly air freight report.

IATA said rising volumes in the Middle East, Africa and Europe helped offset a slide in the Americas and Asia-Pacific.

"Some of the key reasons for the earlier weakness - for example, downgraded growth expectations in emerging Asia, and the rebalancing of the Chinese economy toward domestic consumption - are still there," IATA Director General Tony Tyler said in a statement.

"Even though world trade volumes have slightly picked up, the industry will have to work hard to match the strong finish to 2014," he said.