Air freight markets across the world recorded a year-on-year growth of 2.7 percent in freight tonne-kilometres in the first month of 2016, according to data released by the International Air Transport Association.

The association said that the solid start to the year was a continuation of the improving trend it witnessed towards the end of 2015.

“It is good news that volumes are growing, but yields and revenues are still under tremendous pressure,” said Tony Tyler, director general and CEO of IATA. “Air cargo plays a vital role in our globalized and fast-paced world in which trade is the foundation for long-term prosperity. Removing barriers to trade is a win-win. It will shore-up the foundations for stronger economies. And an improved business environment for air cargo will help facilitate much needed technology and process investments so that the industry will be an even stronger catalyst for growth and development.”

The average freight load factor was 41.3 percent, a fall of 1.8 percentage points compared to January 2015.

Carriers in the Middle East grew the most, at 8.7 percent year-on-year. This was almost four times faster than the 2.5 percent recorded by European and North American airlines. Asia-Pacific carriers expanded by just 1.3 percent year-on-year.

The underlying weakness in global trade means that, despite the good start, it is unlikely that growth will accelerate significantly in the coming months, said IATA.