The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for September 2025 global passenger demand, highlighting several key trends.
Total demand, measured
in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), increased by 3.6% compared to September
2024.
Alongside this, total
capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), saw a rise of 3.7%
year-on-year.
The load factor for September stood at 83.4%,
reflecting a slight decrease of 0.1 percentage points compared to the same
month in the previous year.
In terms of
international travel, demand rose by 5.1% compared to September 2024, with
capacity increasing by 5.2% year-on-year. The load factor for international
flights was recorded at 83.6%, also down by 0.1 percentage points from
September 2024.
On the domestic front,
demand experienced a more modest increase of 0.9% compared to September 2024.
Capacity for domestic flights was up by 1.1% year-on-year, resulting in a load
factor of 83.0%, which similarly saw a decrease of 0.1 percentage points compared
to the previous year.
“Solid international
demand drove 90% of September’s 3.6% overall growth. Importantly, the capacity
expansion slightly nudged ahead of demand growth at 3.7%. Load factors,
nonetheless, remained very strong at 83.4%. With November flight schedules
indicating a 3% expansion on the previous year, airlines are gearing up for
continued growth into the year-end holiday season. This is despite the severe
constraints of unresolved supply chain issues,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s
Director General.
Regional Breakdown
- International Passenger Markets
International RPK
growth reached 5.1% in September year-on-year, and growth was seen in all
regions. The only region to show a significant load factor improvement was
Asia-Pacific.
Asia-Pacific
airlines achieved a 7.4%
year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 6.1%
year-on-year, and the load factor was 83.3% (+1.0 ppt compared to September
2024). Intra-Asia travel was the strongest driver of growth with a 9.4%
increase, led primarily by traffic from China and Japan.
European
carriers had a 4.0%
year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 4.4% year-on-year, and the
load factor was 85.6% (-0.3 ppt compared to September 2024).
North American
carriers saw a 2.5%
year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 4.3% year-on-year, and the
load factor was 82.9% (-1.5 ppt compared to September 2024). The North
America-Asia corridor showed weak growth of just 0.9%. By contrast, North
America-South America traffic bounced back from its August decline, with growth
of 1.1%.
Middle Eastern
carriers saw a 6.3%
year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 6.2% year-on-year, and the
load factor was 81.9% (unchanged compared to September 2024).
Latin American
airlines saw a 5.3%
year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity climbed 6.8% year-on-year. The load
factor was 83.3% (-1.2 ppt compared to September 2024).
African
airlines saw a 5.3%
year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 5.1% year-on-year. The load
factor was 74.7% (+0.1 ppt compared to September 2024).
Domestic Passenger
Markets
Domestic RPK rose 0.9%
over September 2024 and load factor fell by 0.1 ppt to 83.0% on the back of a
1.1% capacity expansion. Brazil continues to lead the way with a double-digit
expansion. By contrast, the decline in US domestic travel accelerated to -1.7%
and its load factor is the weakest of the major domestic markets. -TradeArabia News Service