December premium traffic on international routes increased 2.8 percent year over year,

according to the International Air Transport Association. Overall December international traffic increased 3.7 percent. International air travel passenger growth during the past several months has flattened, showing "a gradual slowdown in improvements in business confidence … with economic conditions in the Eurozone and China deteriorating," according to IATA. The largest year-over-year increase in December premium traffic was on mid-Atlantic routes (18.3 percent), and long-haul markets from the Middle East to Europe and Asia also performed well, the association reported. Premium traffic on North Atlantic routes in December increased 3.6 percent year over year.