International air cargo falls 13.5 pct in November

International air freight traffic fell by 13.5 percent in November, according to new figures on Tuesday, reflecting a sharp slowdown in world trade.

The airline industry body IATA said international passenger traffic dropped by 4.6 percent from the totals for November 2007.

Cross-border air shipments, which IATA measures in freight tonne kilometres, are considered a prime indicator of the health of world trade.

IATA represents 240 airlines operating 94 percent of all international traffic. Domestic flights are excluded from its data.