The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported strong global passenger traffic growth in August 2025, with demand reaching a new summer record despite economic and geopolitical headwinds.
Key highlights
- Total demand (RPK) rose 4.6% year-on-year, while capacity grew 4.5%.
- Global load factor reached 86.0%, the highest ever for August.
- International traffic surged 6.6%, driving 87% of overall growth.
- Domestic traffic grew modestly at 1.5%, contributing just 13% of total growth.
“Demand growth confirms another record-breaking summer. Airlines are adding capacity efficiently, but supply chain issues in aerospace must be resolved to keep pace,” said Willie Walsh, IATA Director General.
Regional performance – Total market
- Middle East: RPK +8.4%, highest load factor gain (+1.1 ppt).
- Africa: RPK +8.9%, fastest overall growth.
- Asia-Pacific: RPK +6.1%, strong demand from China and Japan.
- Europe: RPK +4.2%, highest load factor globally (87.9%).
- Latin America: RPK +7.5%, robust growth.
- North America: RPK +0.5%, slight decline in load factor.
International markets
- Asia-Pacific led with +9.8% demand, driven by China (+11.8%) and Japan (+12%).
- Latin America (+9.0%) and Middle East (+8.2%) also performed strongly.
- North America saw modest growth (+1.8%) but a fourth straight decline in load factor.
Domestic markets
- Brazil posted the strongest growth (+12.7%), supported by tourism initiatives.
- China continued steady growth (+3.4%).
- US domestic traffic slipped (-0.2%) with an eighth consecutive load factor decline.
- Japan saw strong rebound (+6.0%) and the highest domestic load factor (89.6%).
Outlook
Airlines plan to increase capacity by 3.4% in October, signalling continued travel momentum into the autumn season.