The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its global passenger traffic report for July 2026. Total passenger demand, measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPKs), showed a modest growth of 0.2% compared to July 2025. Excluding the Middle East region from the equation, global growth stood at 1.2%. Meanwhile, total capacity, measured in Available Seat Kilometers (ASKs), increased 0.3% year-on-year (YoY), while the load factor reached 85.2%, representing a slight variation of -0.1 percentage points compared to the same period last year.
International and Domestic Market Breakdown
International Market
International demand contracted 0.1% in July compared to the same month in 2025. However, breaking down the data by excluding Middle Eastern carriers reveals a 1.5% increase. International capacity rose 0.3% YoY, and the load factor settled at 85.2% (-0.3 percentage points).
- Europe: European airlines experienced a 3.1% YoY increase in international demand, with capacity rising 3.2% and a load factor of 87.1% (-0.1 percentage points). The Europe–Asia route stood out remarkably, growing 12.1% and consolidating its position as the strongest expansion among major international corridors.
- Latin America and the Caribbean: Carriers in the region reported solid YoY growth in international demand of 7.1%. Capacity increased by 7.2%, and the load factor closed at 85.7% (-0.1 percentage points).
- Africa: African airlines showed a 6.4% uptick in YoY international demand. Available capacity increased by 9.0%, while the load factor reached 74.1% (-1.8 percentage points).
- Asia-Pacific: Recorded a slight YoY decline of 0.7% in international demand. Capacity fell 1.7%, and the load factor reached 84.5% (+0.9 percentage points).
- North America: Airlines in this region suffered a 2.3% contraction in international demand, alongside a capacity adjustment of -2.3%. The load factor remained stable at 88.2%. The transatlantic corridor dropped 2.2%, impacted by traffic declines from the UK, France, and Spain.
- Middle East: Carriers continued to face headwinds with a 9.5% decline in international demand and a 5.8% capacity reduction. The load factor dropped to 80.9% (-3.3 percentage points). Despite the negative figures, traffic contraction continues to moderate following the double-digit drops recorded earlier in the year.
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Domestic Market
Global domestic RPKs grew 0.6% YoY, accompanied by a 0.2% expansion in capacity and a 0.3 percentage point increase in load factor (85.3%).
- China and Brazil: Led the upward trajectory. China’s domestic market reported a 5.3% rise in RPKs (ASKs +4.7%; load factor at 83.6%), while Brazil expanded 6.0% in demand (ASKs +8.0%; load factor at 84.1%).
- Japan: Recorded slight but positive growth in domestic demand of 0.9% (ASKs +0.4%; load factor at 81.8%).
- United States, India, and Australia: Experienced declines in domestic traffic. The US fell 0.5% in RPKs (ASKs -1.4%; load factor at 86.7%), India dropped 6.3% in demand (ASKs -6.0%; load factor at 82.7%), and Australia decreased by 0.5% (ASKs +1.2%; load factor at 83.6%).
Industry Outlook
Marie Owens Thomsen, IATA’s Senior Vice President Sustainability and Chief Economist, evaluated the results, highlighting the industry’s current dynamics:
“The Northern summer peak travel season is a broadly positive story for air transport. Overall growth of 0.2% in July was achieved despite collective YoY declines from operators in North America and the Middle East. Notably, traffic through Gulf hubs continues its recovery trajectory. Although high fuel costs, economic uncertainty, and geopolitical tensions persist, carriers express confidence in demand for the final stretch of the year, backed by an expansion of nearly 3% in seat capacity for September.
The performance of key markets reflects a mixed landscape, yet with stable fundamentals. While traditional corridors like the transatlantic show signs of a slowdown, strong traffic between Europe and Asia and momentum in emerging markets such as Latin America and China continue to underpin global commercial aviation growth heading into the second half of the year.”
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