International air freight grew a ?disappointingly low? 3.2 percent, while passenger traffic expanded by 7.6 percent in 2005, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said yesterday. Air freight growth, a prime indicator of the health of world trade, was 15.8 percent in 2004, while international passenger traffic expanded by 15.3 percent that year, Geneva-based IATA said in a statement.

But passenger traffic growth was above the historical growth rate of 6 percent, the Geneva-based organisation added. Freight traffic growth was expected to pick up again in 2006 to reach 5-6 percent, with passenger traffic expanding at the same rate. Despite the growth recorded in 2005, airlines lost $6 billion, the organisation said. This loss is forecast to narrow to $4 billion in 2006. ?The industry will not see black ink until at least 2007,? IATA Director-General Giovanni Bisignani said in a statement.