Russia-Ukraine crisis hurting Europe air freight volumes: IATA

Chief Executive and Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Tony Tyler speaks during the IATA Ops Conference in Kuala Lumpur April 1, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer

FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The crisis in Russia and the Ukraine is holding back air freight volumes in Europe from growing as quickly as elsewhere, a leading air transport body said on Tuesday.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) said air freight volumes in Europe rose by just 1.8 percent in July, compared with global growth of 5.8 percent.

"The weakness of major economies such as France and Italy, along with the effect of EU sanctions on Russia, has dampened demand," it said.


(Reporting by Victoria Bryan; Editing by Christoph Steitz)