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International air traffic growth slows in March GENEVA: Growth in international air freight traffic continued to slow in March, according to new figures on Friday suggesting that world trade remains sluggish. The airline industry body IATA said international air cargo shipments rose 3.2 percent in March, well below 4.3 percent growth in 2007, while international air passenger traffic rose 5.8 percent. Adjusted for the impact of the Easter holiday, which fell in March this year but in April in 2007, real passenger traffic growth was 4 percent, IATA said. “The slowdown in the demand growth continues the sharp downward trend which began in December 2007 as the impact of the US credit crunch began to be felt in the airline industry,” it said in a statement. reuters