Global air passenger demand rose 0.2% year-on-year in July 2026, despite declines in North America and the Middle East, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Monday.
IATA said total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), increased 0.2% from July 2025. Excluding the Middle East, demand grew 1.2%.
Meanwhile, total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), rose 0.3% year-on-year. The passenger load factor stood at 85.2%, down 0.1 percentage points from July 2025.
International demand fell 0.1%, although it grew 1.5% when Middle Eastern carriers were excluded. Capacity rose 0.3%, while the international load factor dropped 0.3 percentage points to 85.2%.
Africa Records Stronger Growth
However, domestic demand grew 0.6% year-on-year, while capacity increased 0.2%. The domestic load factor reached 85.3%, up 0.3 percentage points.
African airlines recorded a 5.2% rise in total passenger demand. Capacity grew 7.3%, while the load factor stood at 75.1%, down 1.5 percentage points.
In international markets, African carriers recorded a 6.4% increase in demand. Capacity climbed 9.0%, while the load factor fell 1.8 percentage points to 74.1%.
European carriers recorded a 3.1% rise in international demand. Capacity increased 3.2%, while the load factor stood at 87.1%.
Passenger traffic between Europe and Asia grew 12.1%. IATA said this was the strongest growth among major international air travel corridors.
Latin American airlines also recorded strong growth, with demand rising 7.1% and capacity increasing 7.2%. Their load factor stood at 85.7%, down 0.1 percentage points.
Middle East Traffic Still Recovering
However, Middle Eastern carriers recorded a 9.5% fall in demand. Capacity dropped 5.8%, while the load factor fell 3.3 percentage points to 80.9%.
IATA said the decline continued to ease after the double-digit falls recorded earlier in the year. North American carriers also recorded a 2.3% fall in demand, while capacity declined by the same rate.
The key transatlantic corridor fell 2.2%, with traffic from the UK, France and Spain recording notable declines.
However, domestic passenger demand grew 0.6% in July compared with the same month in 2025. China and Brazil recorded strong growth, while the United States, Australia and India posted declines.
Brazil recorded 6.0% growth in domestic demand, while China rose 5.3%. Japan increased 0.9%, compared with declines of 0.5% in Australia and the US and 6.3% in India.
“Overall growth of 0.2% in July was achieved despite year-on-year collective declines by carriers in North America and the Middle East,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist.
She said traffic through Gulf hubs continued to recover despite high fuel costs, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions.
Thomsen added that airlines remained confident about demand, with seat capacity expected to expand by almost 3% in September.
IATA represents more than 370 airlines, accounting for about 85% of global air traffic. The association said all figures remain provisional and may change as airlines provide additional data.
External sources
IATA Passenger Market Analysis – July 2026
IATA official website
