Passenger traffic at Raleigh-Durham International Airport rose slightly during the first half of the year but cargo traffic was down.

A total of 4.4 million passengers traveled through the airport, up 1.6 percent from the same period a year ago, the Airport Authority reported.

The number of passengers traveling nonstop outside the country from RDU increased 12.9 percent.

Air cargo traffic declined 4.7 percent to 46,170 tons during the first six months of the year.

The Airport Authority also announced that Vision Airlines will begin offering twice-weekly nonstop service to Grand Bahama Island in November.

It's the fourth nonstop flight to a Caribbean airport from RDU.

Raleigh-Durham International Airport posted a 3 percent gain in passengers in September, the first such increase since March.

The RDU Airport Authority also reported today that the amount of cargo moving through the airport increased 1.2 percent in September compared to the same month last year. And airline seat capacity increased for the first time in 28 months.

The numbers are a sign that airline travel is recovering after slumping badly during the economic downturn.