Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), rose 3.7% year-on-year, while the global load factor remained stable at 83.4% (–0.1 percentage points).
International traffic drove the majority of growth, rising 5.1%, while domestic demand grew modestly by 0.9% compared with September 2024.
“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.
| Air passenger market in detail – September 2025 | ||||||
| World share, %1 | September 2025 (year-on-year, %) | |||||
| RPK | ASK | PLF (%-pt) | PLF (level) | |||
| TOTAL MARKET | 100.0 | 3.6 | 3.7 | -0.1 | 83.4 | |
| Africa | 2.2 | 6.1 | 6.9 | -0.6 | 74.9 | |
| Asia-Pacific | 33.5 | 5.3 | 4.0 | 1.1 | 83.6 | |
| Europe | 26.7 | 2.9 | 3.3 | -0.3 | 86.2 | |
| Latin America and Caribbean | 5.3 | 5.4 | 5.4 | 0.0 | 83.6 | |
| Middle East | 9.4 | 6.2 | 6.3 | -0.1 | 81.8 | |
| North America | 22.9 | -0.1 | 1.8 | -1.5 | 81.2 | |
| 1 % of industry RPK in 2024 | ||||||
Regional performance
- Asia-Pacific carriers led the global growth trend, with a 7.4% year-on-year increase in international passenger demand. Capacity rose 6.1%, and the load factor improved by 1.0 percentage point to 83.3%. Intra-Asia routes, particularly those involving China and Japan, were the strongest contributors, rising 9.4%.
- European airlines posted a 4.0% increase in demand, with capacity up 4.4% and a load factor of 85.6%, slightly down from the previous year.
- North American carriers recorded 2.5% growth in demand, while capacity expanded 4.3%. The load factor slipped 1.5 percentage points to 82.9%. The North America–Asia corridor grew just 0.9%, while traffic between North and South America rose 1.1%, recovering from August’s decline.
- In the Middle East, passenger demand rose 6.3%, keeping pace with a 6.2% capacity increase. The region’s load factor was stable at 81.9%.
- Latin American carriers achieved 5.3% growth in demand, though capacity climbed faster at 6.8%, pushing the load factor down 1.2 points to 83.3%.
- African airlines also recorded 5.3% growth in demand, with capacity up 5.1% and a load factor of 74.7%, nearly unchanged from the prior year.
Domestic market trends
Domestic passenger demand increased 0.9% compared to September 2024, while capacity grew 1.1%, resulting in a slightly lower load factor of 83.0%.
Brazil continued to lead with double-digit domestic growth, maintaining its strong recovery trajectory. By contrast, the United States saw a 1.7% decline in domestic travel — the weakest among major markets.
| Air passenger market in detail – September 2025 | ||||||
| World share, %1 | September 2025 (year-on-year, %) | |||||
| RPK | ASK | PLF (%-pt) | PLF (level) | |||
| Domestic | 38.2 | 0.9 | 1.1 | -0.1 | 83.0 | |
| Dom. Australia | 0.8 | 1.3 | 5.3 | -3.2 | 81.7 | |
| Dom. Brazil | 1.1 | 12.1 | 10.0 | 1.6 | 84.4 | |
| Dom. China P.R. | 11.3 | 5.0 | 3.2 | 1.4 | 84.2 | |
| Dom. India | 1.7 | -0.7 | 1.5 | -1.9 | 81.1 | |
| Dom. Japan | 1.0 | 3.3 | -0.8 | 3.4 | 84.9 | |
| Dom. United States | 14.4 | -1.7 | 0.1 | -1.5 | 80.2 | |
| 1 % of industry RPK in 2024 | ||||||
Outlook
IATA’s data indicate that the air travel recovery remains steady, driven largely by international markets, especially in Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. With flight capacity continuing to expand and demand showing resilience, airlines are positioned for sustained growth through the end of 2025, despite challenges from supply chain disruptions and rising operational costs.
Tags: Willie Walsh, IATA
