International airfreight traffic made an overall gain of 1 percent year-over- year in June 2012, even as a slight decline in cargo volume was recorded in the first half of 2012, the Airports Council International (ACI) said.
Global freight volume dropped by 1.3 percent in the first six months of the year, and fell by 2.2. percent on a 12-month rolling basis, largely as a result of business confidence remaining in a “fragile” state, ACI said.
But June traffic this year made slight gains as leading freight hubs in Asia rebounded from several months of traffic declines. Freight traffic also increased in the Middle East and Latin America-Caribbean.
Many key freight hubs in North America, however, continue to experience declines in traffic, ACI said. Domestic freight volumes in Europe were also stagnant, with a decline of 1 percent.
“Burgeoning markets in the Middle East and Latin America-Caribbean are less encumbered by the slowdown that is sweeping across other regions,” ACI World’s Economics Director Rafael Echevarne noted.
“Though the economic outlook is ominous for many major economies, emerging markets continue to be fuelled by their strong domestic demand, and persevere despite these downside risks,” he added.
Photo: Hey Paul
