Global airfreight volumes in 2014 increased 4.5 percent from 2013 levels, with overall growth receiving a hefty bump from robust activity in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the leading world airline trade group, said today.

The results are a marked improvement over the 2012–13 period, IATA said, when, 2013 growth exceeded 2012 levels by just 1.4 percent.

Demand accelerated throughout 2014, culminating in December with a 4.9-percent gain from the same period in 2013, according to IATA data. The group measures global freight growth by freight ton-kilometers (FTK), defined as the movement of one kilogram of payload per one kilometer.

Asia-Pacific carriers reported growth of 5.9 percent over 2013 levels, while Middle East Airlines posted an 11 percent year-over-year gain, IATA said. The Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions accounted for 46 percent and 29 percent, respectively, of the total expansion in FTKs, IATA said.

North American airlines reported 2.4 percent freight growth in 2014, while capacity increased 3 percent, IATA said. Latin American carriers posted the weakest expansion, up only 0.1 percent.

In a statement, Tony Tyler, IATA's director-general and CEO, said freight volumes benefited from the increase in world trade during the second half of 2014. Air commerce has yet to be impacted by recent concerns over the health of the global economy, Tyler said.