Air cargo has “all but collapsed,” according to the Association of European Airlines (AEA), who said traffic volumes were down by around a fifth for the first two months of the year, the worst figures on record. Passenger traffic plunged nearly 5 per cent in the first two months of the year and could fall another 10 per cent in March as the economic downturn continues. It said it would normally expect a 4 per cent to 5 per cent increase in traffic “so current levels are approaching 10 per cent below expectations.”