The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported modest growth in global air passenger demand in July 2026, with total revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) rising 0.2% from the same month a year earlier.

Excluding Middle Eastern carriers, demand increased 1.2%. Global capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), grew 0.3%, while the passenger load factor stood at 85.2%, down 0.1 percentage points year-on-year.

International passenger demand declined 0.1%, although it rose 1.5% when Middle Eastern carriers were excluded.

Domestic demand increased 0.6%, supported by a 0.2% rise in capacity, while the load factor reached 85.3%.

“The peak Northern summer travel season is a mostly positive story for air travel. Overall growth of 0.2% in July was achieved despite year-on-year collective declines by carriers in North America and the Middle East. Notably, traffic through the Gulf hubs continues its recovery trajectory. Although high fuel costs, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions continue, carriers are expressing confidence in demand for the last part of the year with an almost 3% expansion of seat capacity in September,” said Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability, and Chief Economist.

European airlines recorded 3.1% demand growth, with Europe-Asia traffic surging 12.1%. Latin American and African carriers also posted strong gains of 7.1% and 6.4%, respectively.

Asia-Pacific demand fell 0.7%, while North American demand dropped 2.3%. Middle Eastern carriers reported a 9.5% decline, although the downturn continued to moderate.

Domestic demand rose 0.6% overall, with China and Brazil recording strong growth, while the United States, Australia and India saw declines. -TradeArabia News Service