Staff Writer
Global passenger demand reached record levels in 2025, even as airlines faced aircraft delivery delays, maintenance backlogs and rising costs that limited capacity growth, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said.
In its full-year and December 2025 passenger market performance report released on 29 January 2026 in Geneva, IATA said total global demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, increased by 5.3% compared to 2024.
Capacity, measured in available seat kilometres, rose by 5.2%, pushing the overall passenger load factor to a record 83.6% for the year.
International travel drove most of the growth. Full-year international demand rose by 7.1%, while capacity increased by 6.8%.
This lifted the international load factor to a record 83.5%. Domestic demand grew by 2.4% during the year, with capacity up by 2.5%. Domestic load factors averaged 83.7%, slightly lower than in 2024.
December 2025 closed the year on a strong note. Passenger demand rose by 5.6% year-on-year. Capacity increased by 5.9%, while the load factor stood at 83.7%.
IATA Director General Willie Walsh said the 2025 results marked a return to long-term growth trends after the post-pandemic rebound but said key challenges remain.
“People clearly wanted to travel more, but airlines were continually disappointed with unreliable delivery schedules for new aircraft and engines, maintenance capacity constraints, and resultant cost increases that are estimated to exceed $11 billion,” Walsh said.
He said airlines responded by keeping aircraft in service for longer and maximising seat occupancy, which pushed load factors close to 84%.
“These measures were an effective band-aid, but we need a real solution,” he said, adding that supply chain constraints must be resolved in 2026.
Asia-Pacific airlines recorded the strongest regional growth, with demand rising by 7.8% in 2025 and accounting for 34.5% of global passenger traffic. Europe followed with a 26.6% share of global traffic and demand growth of 5.3%. North America, which holds a 21.8% market share, recorded demand growth of 0.4%.
African airlines, while accounting for 2.2% of global traffic, posted strong growth. Demand rose by 9.4% in 2025, while capacity increased by 8.3%. The region’s average load factor reached a record 75.3%, although it remained the lowest among all regions.
On international routes, Asia-Pacific carriers led growth with traffic up 10.9% for the year. European and Middle Eastern airlines recorded growth of 6.0% and 6.7%, respectively. North America lagged, with international traffic rising by 2.1%.
Domestic markets also recorded record passenger numbers. Brazil posted an 11.1% increase in domestic demand, while the United States recorded a 0.6% contraction. India maintained the highest domestic load factor globally at 85.2%, despite a decline from 2024.
Walsh said long-term growth will depend on fixing supply chain problems and accelerating decarbonisation, including faster growth in sustainable aviation fuel production.
“Every new aircraft means a quieter, cleaner fleet, with more capacity and flight options than at any previous point in history,” he said.
Caption
Global passenger demand reached record levels in 2025.
- Photo: Contributed
