Profit jumped 7 percent at UPS in the third quarter, as international business soared, the company said Thursday.

Net income in the third quarter rose to $953 million, compared with $890 million in the same quarter last year. Consolidated revenue climbed nearly 18 percent to $10.55 billion from $8.95 billion in the year-earlier period.

"We have tremendous momentum right now in the U.S. and around the world and we see it continuing," UPS Chief Executive Mike Eskew said in a statement. The company said a 4 percent gain in average daily U.S. volume exceeded economic growth rates. This volume gain was paced by a 6.1 percent increase in Next Day Air packages. Average daily ground package volume rose 3.6 percent, UPS said.

Outside the United States, total average daily package volume rose 11.2 percent to 1.5 million a day, paced by double-digit gains in Europe and Asia.

Chief Financial Officer Scott Davis said UPS expects the global small package business to remain strong this year, resulting in exceptional operating profit in both the domestic and international segments. UPS also expects to see steady improvement in its supply chain and freight services business, Davis said.

"Our guidance for 2006, following an excellent performance in 2005, demonstrates our confidence in the soundness of our business strategy and our ability to execute," the CFO added.