The International Air Transport Association (Iata) has reported a 5.0% year-on-year increase in global passenger demand for May 2025, with strong performances across most regions, led by Asia-Pacific and African airlines. The figures, released on 30 June, reflect sustained consumer confidence and travel demand heading into the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season.
Source: Gerrie van der Walt via
Unsplash"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," says Willie Walsh, Iata’s director general.
He adds: "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 markets: Asia-Pacific and Africa outperform
International passenger demand increased by 6.7% compared to May 2024, with capacity up 6.4% and a record May load factor of 83.2%. Asia-Pacific airlines achieved the highest growth at 13.3%, followed by African airlines at 9.5%.
Africa-Asia remained the fastest-growing international corridor, expanding by 15.9% year-on-year.
African carriers’ capacity rose by 6.2% year-on-year in May, with a load factor improvement of 2.2 percentage points to 74.9%.
European airlines reported a 4.1% increase in demand, North American carriers saw 1.4% growth, and Middle Eastern airlines achieved a 6.2% increase.
Domestic travel slows, US market contracts
Domestic air travel demand rose 2.1% in May compared to the same month in 2024, with capacity up 2.8%. The global domestic load factor slipped by 0.5 percentage points to 83.7%.
While most domestic markets saw positive growth, the US domestic market contracted by 1.7% year-on-year, attributed to economic headwinds and reductions in government-related travel.
Chinese domestic travel maintained its upward trend, accelerating to a 7.4% increase, while Brazil’s domestic market posted a robust 18.3% rise—the strongest domestic performance globally.
Regional performance snapshot
• Africa: +9.5% RPK, 74.9% load factor
• Asia-Pacific: +13.3% RPK, 84.0% load factor
• Europe: +4.1% RPK, 84.0% load factor
• Middle East: +6.2% RPK, 80.9% load factor
• North America: +1.4% RPK, 83.8% load factor
• Latin America: +8.8% RPK, 83.6% load factor
