GENEVA ~ International air travel grew again in May, while air freight picked up sharply after several months of sluggish growth, the top airline association said this week.

Passenger travel rose by 5.5 percent year-on-year, compared with 5.4 percent a month earlier, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said in a statement.

Demand for air freight rose by 5.0 percent in May, up sharply from 2.8 percent in April, led by airlines in the Middle East and a doubling of demand in the Asia-Pacific region, it added.