Air cargo experienced a small recovery in October, with growth in all regions besides Africa.

Figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) show global freight tonne kilometers (FTK) are up four per cent.

Europe experienced above average growth, with FTKs improving by 4.4 per cent year-on-year, building on similar results seen in previous months. However, growth in the third quarter only reached 0.1 per cent, three times less than the 0.3 per cent in Q2. Similarly, capacity was up just 3.6 per cent.

While Africa was the weakest area, the Middle East was the strongest performer with volumes rising 12.3 per cent and capacity up 12.1 per cent. IATA stated this was a sign of the ongoing "strong upward trajectory" in this region.

IATA's chief executive officer and director general Tony Tyler said: "Air cargo is still a very tough business. Matching capacity to demand has been difficult in an environment where passenger traffic is growing more robustly."

October's average load factor, the output potential and space used, was 46.4 per cent, an improvement on the year-to-date figure of 44.8 per cent. Yet this is still below 2010's high point, when it exceeded 50 per cent.