{"id":186147,"date":"2026-03-31T14:30:04","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T14:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/?p=186147"},"modified":"2026-04-02T12:22:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:22:26","slug":"global-passenger-demand-grew-6-1-in-february-driven-by-latin-america-and-domestic-markets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/2026\/03\/global-passenger-demand-grew-6-1-in-february-driven-by-latin-america-and-domestic-markets.html","title":{"rendered":"Global Passenger Demand Grew 6.1% in February Driven by Latin America and Domestic Markets"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>The <strong>International Air Transport Association (IATA)<\/strong> reported that global passenger demand in February 2026 maintained an upward trajectory, recording a 6.1% increase compared to the same month last year. Despite this momentum, the sector is beginning to show signs of caution due to geopolitical tensions and rising operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Record Global Load Factor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>During the second month of the year, the aviation sector demonstrated a solid capacity for recovery and resource optimization. Total traffic, measured in <strong>Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPKs)<\/strong>, rose by 6.1%, while total capacity, measured in <strong>Available Seat Kilometers (ASKs)<\/strong>, increased by 5.6% year-over-year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of the most significant milestones of this period was the <strong>load factor<\/strong>, which reached <strong>81.4%<\/strong>. This figure represents a 0.3 percentage point increase compared to February 2025 and stands as the highest load factor ever recorded for the month of February in aviation history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Market Segments: Domestic vs. International<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Domestic Market:<\/strong> Internal traffic showed even more robust performance with a 6.3% increase. Capacity grew by 6.2%, maintaining a load factor of 82.8%. This growth was primarily driven by the Brazilian and Chinese markets.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>International Market:<\/strong> International demand grew by 5.9%. Capacity increased by 5.3%, and the load factor settled at 80.5%.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-left\">Regional Analysis: Latin America Leads Year-Over-Year Growt<strong>h<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The performance of international markets varied significantly by region, with Latin America emerging as the global growth engine during February.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Region<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Year-Over-Year Growth<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Capacity (ASK)<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">Load Factor<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Latin America<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">13.5%<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">9.3%<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">85.0%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Asia-Pacific<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">8.6%<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">7.3%<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">86.6%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Europe<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">5.0%<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">4.5%<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">75.6%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>North America<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">5.0%<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">2.4%<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">80.9%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Africa<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">4.8%<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">6.6%<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">74.5%<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\"><strong>Middle East<\/strong><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">0.9%<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">3.8%<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-center\" data-align=\"center\">79.6%<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Challenges and Outlook: Uncertainty Due to Armed Conflict<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the positive results, IATA leadership has issued warning signs regarding the short-term outlook. <strong>Willie Walsh<\/strong>, IATA\u2019s Director General, highlighted that while the fundamentals for growth remain present, the conflict in the Middle East introduces variables that are impossible to quantify accurately at this time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Fuel costs have risen sharply. With tight capacity and thin margins, airfares are already increasing,&#8221; Walsh noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This uncertainty is already impacting airline planning. According to IATA data, scheduled capacity growth for March has moderated to 3.3%, a figure significantly lower than the 5% initially projected. 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trajectory,&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":4316,"featured_media":120394,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[230,197,258],"class_list":{"0":"post-186147","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-airlines","8":"tag-airline","9":"tag-airlines","10":"tag-iata-2"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros.jpg",800,400,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros-300x150.jpg",300,150,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros-768x384.jpg",768,384,true],"large":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros.jpg",800,400,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros.jpg",800,400,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros.jpg",800,400,false],"pk-small":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros.jpg",80,40,false],"pk-thumbnail":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros.jpg",300,150,false],"csco-small":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros-80x80.jpg",80,80,true],"csco-intermediate":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros-200x140.jpg",200,140,true],"csco-thumbnail":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros-380x220.jpg",380,220,true],"csco-thumbnail-alternative":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros-300x180.jpg",300,180,true],"csco-thumbnail-uncropped":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros-380x190.jpg",380,190,true],"csco-medium":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros.jpg",800,400,false],"csco-medium-alternative":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros-560x336.jpg",560,336,true],"csco-medium-uncropped":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros.jpg",800,400,false],"csco-large":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros.jpg",800,400,false],"csco-large-uncropped":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros.jpg",800,400,false],"csco-extra-large":["https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/aeropuerto-pasajeros.jpg",800,400,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Redacci\u00f3n - Aviaci\u00f3n al D\u00eda","author_link":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/author\/aad"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that global passenger demand in February 2026 maintained an upward trajectory,&hellip;","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4316"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186147"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":186148,"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186147\/revisions\/186148"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/120394"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aviacionaldia.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}