According to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), overall global passenger air travel demand decreased by 0.5% in September 2026 compared to the same month last year. However, excluding Middle Eastern markets, demand showed a growth of 0.3%.
Total air capacity contracted by 0.2%, while the passenger load factor stood at 83.2%, which is 0.3 percentage points lower than the previous year. Meanwhile, demand on international routes increased by 0.4%, or 1.7% excluding the Middle East. Capacity on international destinations grew by 0.5%, and the load factor reached 83.6%, which is 0.1 percentage point lower than in September 2025.
The situation was different in domestic markets: demand fell by 2.2%, and capacity decreased by 1.3%, with the load factor dropping by 0.7 percentage points to 82.5%.
IATA Chief Economist and Senior Vice President for Sustainability, Mary Owens Thomson, attributed the overall decline to weaker markets in the Middle East and North America. Nevertheless, the situation improved compared to August, as most international markets returned to growth.
She noted that such trends have been observed throughout the year and may continue amid geopolitical uncertainty and fuel price volatility. Total planned air capacity is expected to remain above 2025 levels in October and November, although growth will be moderate and vary significantly across different regions.
Among regional markets, including domestic and international traffic, African airlines showed the strongest demand growth—5.0%, followed by Latin American and Caribbean carriers with a growth of 4.3%. Demand in the Asia-Pacific region increased by 0.5%, and in Europe by 0.3%. In contrast, demand in the Middle East fell by 8.0%, and in North America by 1.6%.
In 2025, the Asia-Pacific region accounted for 34.4% of global passenger traffic, Europe for 26.7%, North America for 21.8%, the Middle East for 9.5%, Latin America for 5.4%, and Africa for 2.2%.
International traffic improved in most major markets in September. Asia-Pacific airlines recorded a demand increase of 0.7% with a capacity increase of 0.4%, reaching a load factor of 83.1%. Traffic increased on four out of six largest international routes in the region; however, passenger flow on intra-Asia routes fell by 0.9%, although this drop was less pronounced than in August.
European carriers increased demand by 1.8% and capacity by 1.2%, achieving a load factor of 86.1%, which is 0.5 percentage points higher. Traffic on transatlantic routes decreased by 0.6% compared to the 2.5% fall in August.
International demand for North American airlines remained unchanged. As capacity fell by 1.9%, the load factor rose by 1.6 percentage points to 84.9%. Passenger flow decreased on three of the region's four largest international routes, although the rate of decline slowed compared to August.
On the Middle East, international demand fell by 7.5%, and capacity decreased by 3.3%. The load factor dropped by 3.6 percentage points to 78.3%. Traffic between the Middle East and Asia fell by 8.8% compared to a 7.9% drop in August. On routes between the Middle East and North America, traffic decreased by 3.0%, which is a slightly smaller decrease than in the previous month.
Latin American airlines increased international demand by 8.2% and capacity by 7.6%, bringing the load factor to 83.9%. African carriers registered a demand growth of 8.0% and an increase in capacity of 8.8%, with a load factor of 74.8%.
In domestic markets, demand growth was recorded in Australia, Brazil, and China—4.5%, 2.0%, and 3.1% respectively. However, this growth was insufficient to offset the decline in the United States, where demand fell by 2.7%. IATA suggested that declining consumer confidence may have affected the US market.
In India, domestic demand fell by 8.3%, marking the sharpest decline since the beginning of 2026. In Japan, passenger flow decreased by 0.8%, partly due to weather-related disruptions during part of the mid-summer holiday period.
According to IATA, six domestic markets for which detailed statistical data is available account for about 29.6% of global passenger traffic and 79.4% of all domestic air transport traffic. Overall, domestic routes accounted for 37.2% of global passenger traffic in 2025.
