Photo: 123rf Passenger demand leaps globally. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reports a 5% increase in global passenger demand for May 2025 compared to May 2024, highlighting a pre-conflict surge in travel prior to the Iran war. This data does not capture the impact of more recent events.
Demand, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK), rose in parallel with a similar seat capacity increase (ASK). The overall load factor reached 83.4%, a slight decline of 0.1% from the previous year.
International flight demand increased by 6.7%, with a 6.4% rise in seat availability, achieving an 83.2% load factor. This marks a new record for May.
Domestic flights saw moderate growth of 2.1%, with North America experiencing a notable downturn of 0.5%, driven by a 1.7% decrease in the U.S. domestic market. Despite a 2.8% increase in seat offerings, the load factor fell by 0.5% to 83.7%.
IATA notes that oil prices remained low in May, but cautions that geopolitical events in the Middle East at the end of June could affect pricing and regional stability, despite efforts to maintain regular flight schedules.
Asia-Pacific saw a 13.3% increase in demand. Capacity grew by 10.6%, with an 84.0% load factor—a 2% rise from May 2024.
Europe experienced a 4.1% demand growth. Capacity increased by 4.8%, with an 84% load factor, slightly down by 0.6% from last year.
North America recorded a 1.4% demand increase. Capacity grew by 1.7%, with a load factor of 83.8%, down by 0.3% compared to May 2024.
Middle East experienced a 6.2% demand boost. Capacity rose by 6.3%, and the load factor was 80.9%, marking a 0.1% decline from last year.
Latin America saw an 8.8% rise in demand, with capacity climbing by 11%. The load factor stood at 83.6%, a 1.7% drop from May 2024.
Africa reported a 9.5% demand increase. Capacity rose by 6.2%, with a load factor of 74.9%, an increase of 2.2% from the prior year.
IATA highlights the Africa-Asia corridor as the most rapidly growing international route, posting a 15.9% expansion.
The figures apply to May 2025, preceding the Israel-Iran conflict that significantly affected Middle Eastern aviation for a prolonged period. Future data will reveal the impact of airspace closures in Israel and surrounding countries.