IATA Reports 0.2% Rise in Global Passenger Demand in July

In July 2026, global air passenger demand grew by 0.2% year-on-year, according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). However, demand dipped in North America and the Middle East. Excluding the Middle East, overall demand rose by 1.2% compared to July 2025. Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometres, climbed by 0.3%.

Meanwhile, the passenger load factor dropped by 0.1 percentage points to 85.2%. International passenger demand declined by 0.1%, but would have increased by 1.5% without the Middle East. International capacity grew by 0.3%, while the load factor fell by 0.3 points to 85.2%. Domestic demand showed a modest gain of 0.6%. Capacity increased by 0.2%, and the load factor rose by 0.3 percentage points to 85.3%.

IATA's senior vice president for sustainability and chief economist, Marie Owens Thomsen, viewed the peak Northern summer travel season as "a mostly positive story for air travel". She noted that the overall increase occurred despite declines in North America and the Middle East, and that Gulf hub traffic was recovering. Despite high fuel costs, economic uncertainty, and geopolitical tensions, airlines expressed confidence in demand for the latter part of the year, with seat capacity expected to expand by nearly three percent in September.