Global airlines reported a 5.9% rise in international revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) in January over last year, with Middle Eastern carriers outpacing most regions with a 83.2% load factor despite a broader slowdown in growth at the start of the year, according to a report by IATA.
Global airlines are raising ticket prices, cutting some services and reviewing schedules as soaring jet fuel costs linked to the Middle East conflict squeeze margins, while widespread flight disruptions continue to hit passenger traffic and tourism demand worldwide.
More than 1.4 million passengers used UAE airports between March 1–12, according to the UAE GCAA. National carriers are restoring operations, reaching 44.6% of overall activity compared with operational levels before the current regional tensions.
Aviation across the Gulf and beyond descended into turmoil after US and Israeli strikes on Iran triggered retaliatory missile and drone attacks across the region, forcing several Gulf states to shut or restrict their airspace and suspend commercial flights.
Global air cargo demand rose in the first full week of February, as freighter capacity from Central and South America normalised after the peak of Valentine’s Day flower shipments and airlines reduced capacity from parts of Greater China ahead of Lunar New Year, said a report.
Airlines have cancelled more than 1,000 US flights during the peak Christmas travel period on Friday, with severe winter storm warnings and heavy snow forecast across parts of the Midwest and northeast, said media reports. A total of 3,974 flights were delayed across the country.
Global airlines scrambled to fix a newly identified software glitch flagged by Airbus in its A320 family of aircraft, and although many carriers rushed to apply the update overnight, the issue still triggered widespread disruption to flight operations around the world.
Aerospace supply chain challenges are delaying aircraft production, leading airlines to extend older fleets. The global backlog exceeded 17,000 aircraft in 2024, costing the industry over $11 billion in 2025 due to slow production, according to International Air Transport Association (IATA) and Oliver Wyman joint study.
Middle Eastern airlines’ passenger demand rose 9.6% year-on-year in November 2025, with capacity up 9.2% and a load factor of 81.4% (+0.3 ppt). Globally, passenger demand grew 5.7% versus November 2024, per IATA data.
