May air freight traffic declines 4%

May air freight traffic declines 4%    Air cargo volumes dropped 4 percent in May versus a year ago because last year experienced a major post-recession bump from shippers seeking to quickly restock depleted inventories, the International Air Transport Association said.
   The industry group said freight volumes have improved 2 percent in recent months (IATA previously forecast 5.5 percent growth) compared to the first quarter of 2011. May freight-ton-kilometers were up 1.2 percent over April.
   Carriers in all regions except Latin America and the Middle East experienced a decline in air freight volumes compared to May 2010. Asia-Pacific carriers saw volumes fall 9.2 percent, reflecting the impact of supply chain disruptions in Japan following the earthquake-tsunami disaster and tighter economic policies in China, IATA said.