Global passenger demand drops slightly

Global passenger demand fell by 0.5 percent in September compared to September 2025, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This decline reflects a slight reduction in the number of travelers compared to the same month in the previous year.

Capacity and load factor changes

The total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), decreased by 0.2 percent. Despite this, the load factor, which is the percentage of seats filled, was 83.2 percent, a drop of 0.3 percentage points from the previous year.

International demand trends

Internationally, passenger demand also declined by 0.5 percent compared to September 2025. However, excluding the Middle East, international demand increased by 0.3 percent. Capacity decreased by 0.2 percent, and the load factor remained at 83.2 percent.

Regional variations in demand

Internationally, demand increased by 0.4 percent, with a 1.7 percent rise when excluding the Middle East. Capacity rose by 0.5 percent, and the load factor was 83.6 percent. In contrast, domestic markets experienced a decline of 2.2 percent, with a load factor of 82.5 percent.

Performance by region

European carriers showed a 1.8 percent increase in demand, with a load factor of 86.1 percent. On the North Atlantic route, traffic decreased by 0.6 percent, an improvement from the 2.5 percent decline in August. Latin American and African carriers recorded the strongest growth, with increases of 8.2 percent and 8 percent, respectively.

Domestic market declines

In domestic markets, the United States saw a 2.7 percent decline, and India experienced the sharpest drop of the year at 8.3 percent. However, Australia, Brazil, and China saw improvements. In Japan, a decline of 0.8 percent was linked to weather disruptions during the "Golden Week" holiday period.

Middle East carriers face challenges

Middle East carriers recorded a 7.5 percent drop in international traffic, with the Middle East-Asia corridor declining by 8.8 percent. This follows a similar decline of 7.9 percent in August, indicating continued challenges in this region.

IATA's outlook

Marie Owens Thomsen, chief economist of IATA, noted that regular seat capacity should remain above 2025 levels in October and November. However, she emphasized that growth rates remain low and vary significantly by region.