Global Air Passenger Demand Falls 2.2% in May While Load Factor Hits Record 83.5%

Total passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), declined by 2.2% compared with May 2025, while total capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), fell by 2.3%.

Despite the decline, the global passenger load factor reached a record 83.5% for May.

International passenger demand fell 1.6% year-on-year, while domestic demand contracted 3.1%.

"Air passenger demand was down 2.2% year-on-year in May on the impact of the war in the Middle East. The decline was centred on carriers in the Middle East with a 28.4% year-on-year fall. That's a significant improvement on the 46.6% decline recorded for April, a sign of the region's resilience.

"Notably, we also saw year-on-year contractions in demand in both North America and Asia, largely related to domestic market conditions in the US and China.

"Overall, May demand still appeared to be largely resilient in the face of high fuel prices and airfares. While the recent sharp drop in oil prices is an encouraging development, the challenges created by the war will likely persist for some time. Oil supply through the Strait of Hormuz remains uncertain, and it is likely to take time before the benefit of lower oil prices is reflected in 'normalised' jet fuel pricing.

"In the meantime, airlines that are operating on a 2.0% margin will have little choice but to continue testing demand resilience with higher fares that attempt to cover elevated fuel costs," said Willie Walsh, Iata's director general.

African airlines continue to grow

Despite the global decline, African airlines recorded continued passenger growth during May.

Overall passenger demand increased 6.6% year-on-year, while capacity rose by 7.0%. The regional passenger load factor was 73.7%.

On international routes, African airlines posted an 8.9% increase in passenger demand, with capacity increasing by 8.3% and the load factor improving by 0.4 percentage points to 73.4%.

Regional performance:

• Africa: Demand up 6.6%; capacity up 7.0%; load factor 73.7%.• Asia-Pacific: Demand down 1.4%; capacity down 2.4%; load factor 84.3%.• Europe: Demand up 2.7%; capacity up 1.8%; load factor 85.9%.• Latin America and the Caribbean: Demand up 6.1%; capacity up 4.6%; load factor 83.4%.• Middle East: Demand down 28.4%; capacity down 23.9%; load factor 75.9%.• North America: Demand down 0.8%; capacity up 0.1%; load factor 82.8%.

International travel remains resilient

International passenger demand declined 1.6% globally, although the pace of decline eased compared with April. Excluding the Middle East, international demand increased by 3.1%.

European airlines recorded a 3.8% increase in international passenger demand, supported by a 15% rise in direct traffic to Asia. Latin American carriers posted the strongest international growth at 10.5%.

Middle Eastern airlines remained the weakest-performing region, with international demand falling 28.8% year-on-year as the effects of the Iran conflict continued to disrupt travel. However, Iata said the rate of decline had almost halved compared with April.

Domestic passenger demand declined 3.1% year-on-year, largely because of weaker performances in China and the United States.

China's domestic passenger traffic fell 6.2%, while the United States recorded a 1.9% decline. India remained the strongest-performing major domestic market, posting 10.1% growth.