By Dominic Welling

Passenger numbers at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport climbed 9% over March, while international air cargo plummeted 16% during the same period.

Total passenger traffic through the airport in March reached 801,553, an increase of 9% on the same month in 2010.

Meanwhile, air cargo at the airport fell 2.5% during the month, with international cargo suffering in particular with a drop of 16%.

According to the gateway, Federal Express carried 9.2 million pounds over the month - down 0.8% on 2010 - while United Parcel Service carried 2 million pounds - down 7%.

Elsewhere, general aviation operations at the airport were up 1.5% in March to 5,641.

For the first quarter of the year, Austin-Bergstrom saw passenger traffic increase 8% compared with the same period in 2010.

Air cargo in the first three months of the year fell 3% while international air cargo also dropped 6.5% in comparison with 2010.