Air cargo volumes are at a 25-month high, despite a levelling off of growth in September, according to figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Global freight tonne kilometres (FTKs) saw only a marginal increase of 0.5 per cent compared to 2012's figures. This result was mirrored in domestic market FTKs, which also reported a 0.5 per cent year-on-year increase. Director general and chief executive officer (CEO) of IATA, Tony Tyler, says: "The story behind September's performance is regional. The leveling-off of global volumes was a result of the growth rate in Europe and the Middle East moderating after recent acceleration, while Asia-Pacific airlines saw a deepening of the market weakness."Year-to-date figures are also only up 0.5 per cent, thanks in part to just 0.3 per cent growth in the international markets. While tonnage may be stabilising, there has been a surge in freight load factors (FLFs), up 45.1 per cent. A number of carriers have been addressing the balance of available freight tonne kilomtres (AFTKs) to cater for  required market capacity, up 3.3 per cent. . "At a global level, the September results are aligned with our expectations for an improvement towards the end of the year. All indicators still point to strengthening business confidence as we approach the final quarter. That's cause for cautious optimism. But the persistent cargo weakness when compared to the strength of passenger markets is a signal for the industry to work at improving its value proposition with programmes such as e-Freight," says Tyler.