The global economic crisis-induced air cargo downturn appears to have hit bottom as cargo volumes have remained down around 20 per cent year-on-year since crashing in December, the head of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) reiterated recently. “I would say, looking at the numbers, that it has hit bottom,” the global association’s director-general Giovanni Bisignani told Reuters on the sidelines of an environmental and business conference in Copenhagen which focused on climate change ahead of a UN conference in December that aims to replace the Kyoto Protocol. Bisignani said the market had at least been stabilising at levels around 20 per cent lower than a year ago. “It’s not yet enough to say that the situation is picking up because this is also linked with the level of inventories of the manufacturers. So we have to wait at least another 3 or 4 months in order to see if we start moving,” he added.