March Air Freight Demand Falls - IATA

Demand for global air freight fell 2 percent in March on subdued growth in world trade, IATA said in its monthly update.

Another reason for the drop was the impact of a US port strike that had bolstered year-earlier figures.

Available capacity rose 6.9 percent in the month, with load factor down by 4.0 percentage points to 43.5 percent.

"Expectations of purchasing managers gives little optimism for an early uptick. The combination of fierce competition, capacity increases and stagnant demand makes this a very difficult environment in which to generate profits," IATA Director General Tony Tyler said in a statement.