European airlines saw continued strong growth in...

European airlines saw continued strong growth in passenger traffic in the first quarter of this year, the Assn. of European Airlines said. The AEA reported passenger traffic of its 21 members rose 12.7%, compared to the January-to-March period last year. In March, AEA carriers boosted their passenger traffic by 13.5%. Freight business rose 12.1% over the three months but the March rate of 8.9% indicated a slackening pace of growth. Last year, the AEA announced record increases of 13% in passenger traffic and 10% in freight traffic.