The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its latest data on passenger air travel based on year-on-year traffic and capacity data provided by airlines in each region worldwide during June 2026 compared with the same month in 2025.
According to the latest report, global passenger demand has declined for the period:
- Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), was down 1,7% compared to June 2025. Excluding the Middle East, demand declined by 0,6%. Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), decreased 1,3% year-on-year. The load factor was 84,2% (-0.4 ppt compared to June 2025).
- International demand fell 0,9% compared to June 2025. Excluding the Middle East, demand grew by 1,1%.Capacity was down 0,6% year-on-year, and the load factor was 84,2% (-0.2 ppt compared to June 2025).
- Domestic demand contracted 3,0% compared to June 2025. Capacity decreased 2,4% year-on-year. The load factor was 84,0% (-0.5 ppt compared to June 2025).
“Global demand for air travel was down 1,7% in June compared to 2025,” says Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general. “This is largely due to domestic market declines in China, the US and Japan, and weak but improving international demand for Middle East carriers. While Middle East performance improved, renewed tensions will not help the region’s recovery and the knock-on impact of rising fuel prices will continue to burden travelers with higher airfares.
“People continue to travel – which is an important contributor to global economic growth,” Walsh says. “There is no doubt, however, that stabilising the situation in the Middle East and normalising oil supplies would improve prospects for airlines, economies and societies the world over.”
Regional breakdown of International Passenger Markets:
International RPK fell 0,9%, with capacity falling 0,6%. Excluding the Middle East, international traffic was up 1,1%.
Asia-Pacific airlines achieved a 0,4% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity decreased 1,1% year-on-year, and the load factor was 84,0% (+1.3 ppt compared to June 2025). Slower growth was a result of some carriers cutting back on short-haul routes due to higher fuel prices (capacity on international routes within Asia was down 4,8%).
European carriers saw a 1,5% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 2,0% year-on-year, and the load factor was 87,1% (-0.5 ppt compared to June 2025). Growth on the Europe-Asia corridor was 11,0%, the fastest growth among all major international route corridors.
North American carriers saw a decrease in demand of 1,0% year-on-year. Capacity decreased 0,7% year-on-year, and the load factor was 86,9% (-0.3 ppt compared to June 2025).
Middle Eastern carriers saw a 14% year-on-year decrease in demand. Capacity fell 11% year-on-year, and the load factor was 76,3% (-2.6 ppt compared to June 2025). The impacts of the Iran war continue to cause a highly negative year-on-year traffic comparison, but the rate of decline halved month-to-month since April. This reflects both the gradual normalisation of airline operations across the region and the lower comparison base as traffic in June 2025 was impacted by the military strikes that month.
Latin American airlines achieved a 3,5% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity climbed 6,3% year-on-year. The load factor was 81,6% (-2.2 ppt compared to June 2025).
African airlines saw a 6,7% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 7,0% year-on-year. The load factor was 74,2% (-0.3 ppt compared to June 2025).