The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced that global passenger traffic in September 2010 has seen strong improvement with a 10.5% year-on-year increase, up from 6.5% recorded in the previous month. However, despite a 14.8% year-on-year increase, international freight during September was significantly weaker than the 19.0% rise recorded in August. Middle Eastern carriers continued to lead the industry growth with a 23.9% increase in passenger traffic compared to 2009.