The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released data for May 2025’s global passenger demand, finding an overall increase of by 5% over May 2024.
Total capacity, which was measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), has also risen by 5% year-on-year, with May’s load factor sitting at 83.4% (down 0.1 ppt when compared to May 2024).
International demand increased by 6.7% when compared to May 2024, with capacity up 6.4% year-on-year with a load factor of 83.2% (up 0.2 ppt compared to May 2024), a record for the time period.
Domestic demand increased by 2.1%, with capacity up to 2.8% year-on-year with a load factor of 83.7% (down 0.5 ppt compared to May 2024).
Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, said:Air travel demand growth was uneven in May. Globally, the industry reported 5% growth with Asia-Pacific taking the lead at 9.4%. The outlier was North America which reported a 0.5% decline, led by a 1.7% fall in the US domestic market. Severe disruptions in the Middle East in late June remind us that geopolitical instability remains a challenge in some regions as airlines maintain safe operations with minimal passenger inconvenience.
The impact of such instability on oil prices—which remained low throughout May—is also a critical factor to monitor. Importantly, consumer confidence appears to be strong with forward bookings for the peak Northern summer travel season, giving good reason for optimism.
International RPK growth for May reached 6.7% year-on-year, with growth in all regions but a mixed change on load-factors, which increased by 0.2 ppt. Traffic expansion on the majority of key international routes to the Americas slowed throughout May, apart from Transatlantic, which saw an increase of 2.5% year-on-year.
- Asia-Pacific airlines achieved a 13.3% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 10.6% year-on-year, and the load factor was 84.0% (+2.0 ppt compared to May 2024).
- European carriers had a 4.1% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 4.8% year-on-year, and the load factor was 84.0% (-0.6 ppt compared to May 2024).
- North American carriers saw a 1.4% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 1.7% year-on-year, and the load factor was 83.8% (-0.3 ppt compared to May 2024).
- Middle Eastern carriers saw an 6.2% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 6.3% year-on-year, and the load factor was 80.9% (-0.1 ppt compared to May 2024).
- Latin American airlines saw an 8.8% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity climbed 11.0% year-on-year. The load factor was 83.6% (-1.7 ppt compared to May 2024).
- African airlines saw a 9.5% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 6.2% year-on-year. The load factor was 74.9% (+2.2 ppt compared to May 2024). Africa-Asia is the fastest-growing international corridor, with an expansion of 15.9%.
