Air Freight Demand Dropped In February - IATA

Demand for global air freight dropped in February after a US port strike had boosted the previous year's figures and the timing of the Chinese New Year hurt volumes, IATA reported.

Freight volumes traditionally increase in the weeks leading up to the New Year holiday, which last year occurred later in February.

"The air freight business remains a difficult one. February's performance continues a weak trend. And there are few factors on the horizon that would see this change substantially," IATA Director General Tony Tyler said in a statement.

Demand for air freight, measured in freight tonne km, dropped by 5.6 percent in February, IATA said in its monthly traffic data.

Available capacity rose 7.5 percent in the month, with a resulting fall in load factor of 5.7 percentage points to 41.0 percent.