International Airline Traffic Rises

International airline passenger traffic rose 4.7 percent in September from a year earlier, while freight traffic increased 4.9 percent, according to the International Air Transport Association as reported by the Wall Street Journal. The passenger traffic growth—measured in revenue passenger kilometers—was well below the 5.9 percent average for the year to date, IATA said. "Slowing traffic growth is starting to weaken the strong revenue environment, but efficiency gains and careful capacity management continue," said IATA Director General and Chief Executive Giovanni Bisignani. Freight carried by the group's member airlines, which number around 260 and represent about 94 percent of international scheduled air traffic, was up 5.2 percent for the first nine months of the year, IATA said.