Full-year 2013 global airline passenger traffic rose 5.2 percent from 2012 levels,

with worldwide capacity levels up 4.8 percent, according to the International Air Transport Association. Combined domestic and international air traffic rose most among carriers based in the Middle East (11.4 percent) followed by those in Asia-Pacific (7.1 percent), Latin America (6.3 percent) and Africa (5.2 percent). "The slowest growth was in the developed markets of North America (2.3 percent) and Europe (3.8 percent)," according to IATA. "We saw healthy demand growth in 2013 despite the very difficult economic environment," according to IATA director general and CEO Tony Tyler. "There was a clear improvement trend over the course of the year which bodes well for 2014."