Global air traffic in 2025: demand up 5.3% according to IATA

The key figures for 2025

On 29 January 2026, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which brings together more than 370 airlines accounting for around 85% of global air traffic, published its annual passenger traffic review. For the full year 2025 compared with 2024:

• demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), rose by 5.3%;
• capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), grew by 5.2%;
• the average load factor reached 83.6%, up 0.1 percentage point, a level IATA describes as a record for a full year.

These indicators deserve a brief explanation. A revenue passenger kilometre is one paying passenger carried over one kilometre; an available seat kilometre is one seat offered for sale over one kilometre. The ratio between the two gives the load factor, in other words the share of seats actually occupied.

International traffic drives growth

IATA distinguishes between international and domestic markets. In 2025, international demand rose by 7.1% with capacity up 6.8%, giving a load factor of 83.5%, a record for this segment according to the association. Domestic markets grew more modestly: demand was up 2.4% and capacity up 2.5%, with a load factor of 83.7%, down slightly by 0.1 point.

Among the large domestic markets tracked, Brazil stood out with demand up 11.1%, while the United States recorded a slight decline of 0.6%. India posted the highest load factor of the markets listed, at 85.2%.

Contrasting regional trends

Across total traffic (international and domestic traffic of each region's airlines), IATA gives the following results for 2025:

• Africa: demand +9.4%, load factor 75.3%;
• Asia-Pacific: demand +7.8%, load factor 84.2%;
• Latin America and the Caribbean: demand +7.0%, load factor 83.4%;
• Middle East: demand +6.8%, load factor 81.5%;
• Europe: demand +5.3%, load factor 84.8%;
• North America: demand +0.4%, load factor 82.9%.

Europe therefore posted the highest load factor of the major regions. On international traffic alone, European airlines saw demand grow by 6.0%, with capacity up 5.9%.

Supply held back by industry

For IATA, these strong figures mask a persistent difficulty: airlines cannot increase capacity as fast as they would like. The cause lies in supply chain problems affecting deliveries of new aircraft and the availability of engines and spare parts. The association's Director General, Willie Walsh, described these problems as airlines' biggest challenge in 2025 and estimated the extra cost at more than 11 billion dollars.

"It's vital that 2025 proves to be the nadir of the supply chain crisis, and 2026 marks a rebound," he said in the release. He also called for public policies supporting decarbonisation, particularly the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel.

How to read these statistics

IATA's indicators measure traffic volume weighted by distance, not a number of passengers. A rise in revenue passenger kilometres can therefore come from more travellers, longer journeys, or both. Likewise, stronger growth in international than in domestic traffic does not mean domestic markets are doing badly: their trend depends largely on the economic situation in a few large countries. Finally, regional results are allocated according to the airlines' region of registration, not where the flights take place.

Key takeaways

A record load factor is not just a sign of strong demand: it also reflects tight supply. When aircraft are full and fleets struggle to grow, airlines have little room to absorb disruption, and fares tend to stay high. Production rates at aircraft and engine manufacturers therefore remain one of the factors to watch in understanding how traffic develops in 2026.