A plane passes in front of a full moon over New York City February 17, 2011. REUTERS/Eric Thayer

(Reuters) - Global air freight rose 11.4 percent in July helped by continued economic growth, the third double-digit monthly increase in a row, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Tuesday.

IATA said, however, that while the outlook for the rest of the year remained positive, there were signs that freight growth may be nearing a cyclical peak.

“For the third consecutive month demand for air freight grew at a faster pace than demand for air travel”, said IATA Chief Executive Alexandre de Juniac.

Available capacity rose 3.7 percent in July.

Air freight, measured in freight-tonne-kilometres (FTKs), rose by double-digit percentages in July in Africa, Asia Pacific, Europe and North America.