WORLD AIR TRAFFIC DROPS

AFP - World airline passenger traffic fell 3 percent in 2009, the biggest drop in aviation industry history, fuelled by the global financial downturn, the International Civil Aviation Organization said.

Preliminary figures for airline travel this year showed that international traffic declined by about 4 percent and domestic traffic by 2 percent, despite sharp growth in some regions.

Total passenger traffic - both domestic and international - fell in all regions except the Middle East, which posted 10 percent growth. All other regions recorded negative growth, with Africa hardest hit at minus 10 percent overall, the ICAO said.