Global air passenger demand declined 1.7% year-on-year in June 2026, reflecting weaker domestic markets in China, the United States and Japan, along with continued pressure on aviation in the Middle East, according to the latest data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), declined 1.3% compared to June 2025, while the global passenger load factor stood at 84.2%, down 0.4 percentage points year-on-year.
International passenger demand decreased 0.9% year-on-year, with capacity down 0.6% and the load factor remaining at 84.2%. Excluding the Middle East, however, international traffic increased 1.1%, indicating that regional disruptions continued to influence overall global performance.
Domestic air travel recorded a steeper decline, with demand falling 3.0% year-on-year and capacity down 2.4%. The domestic load factor was 84.0%, a decrease of 0.5 percentage points from June 2025.
Willie Walsh, Director General of IATA, said, “Global demand for air travel was down 1.7% in June compared to 2025. This is largely due to domestic market declines in China, the US, and Japan, and weak but improving international demand for Middle East carriers. While Middle East performance improved, renewed tensions will not help the region’s recovery and the knock-on impact of rising fuel prices will continue to burden travelers with higher airfares.”
He added, “People continue to travel, which is an important contributor to global economic growth. There is no doubt, however, that stabilising the situation in the Middle East and normalising oil supplies would improve prospects for airlines, economies, and societies the world over.”
Regional performance varied across international markets. Airlines in the Asia-Pacific region reported a 0.4% increase in demand, while capacity declined 1.1%. The region’s load factor improved by 1.3 percentage points to 84.0%. IATA noted that higher fuel prices prompted some airlines to reduce short-haul capacity, with international routes within Asia declining 4.8%.
European airlines recorded a 1.5% increase in passenger demand, with capacity rising 2.0% and load factor reaching 87.1%. The Europe-Asia corridor was the strongest-performing major international market, registering an 11% increase in traffic.
North American carriers reported a 1.0% decline in demand, while capacity fell 0.7%. The region’s load factor stood at 86.9%.
Middle Eastern airlines recorded the largest regional decline, with passenger demand falling 14% and capacity decreasing 11%. Load factor declined to 76.3%. According to IATA, comparisons continued to be affected by the impact of the Iran conflict, although performance has improved gradually since April as operations normalised and year-ago comparisons reflected the disruption caused by military strikes.
Latin American airlines posted a 3.5% increase in demand, while capacity grew 6.3%, resulting in a load factor of 81.6%. African carriers recorded the strongest regional growth, with demand increasing 6.7% and capacity rising 7.0%.
Domestic markets remained under pressure across most major countries. China reported a 5.2% decline in domestic passenger traffic, while Japan recorded a 3.8% decline, with higher fuel costs identified as a likely contributing factor. Brazil was the only major domestic market to register growth, with traffic increasing 0.9%, although its load factor declined by 2.5 percentage points.
IATA said that stabilising fuel markets and easing geopolitical tensions will be important factors in supporting stronger airline performance and the recovery of global air travel.
