Passenger air demand rises but US sees decline

Global passenger air traffic rose 5% year on year in May, despite a fall in the US market, according to latest data from airline association Iata.

International demand rose 6.7% compared to May 2024, with capacity up 6.4% year-on-year, and a load factor for May of 83.2%.

Willie Walsh, Iata director general, said: “Air travel demand growth was uneven in May.

“Globally, the industry reported 5% growth with Asia-Pacific taking the lead at 9.4%.

“The outlier was North America which reported a 0.5% decline, led by a 1.7% fall in the US domestic market.

“Severe disruptions in the Middle East in late June remind us that geopolitical instability remains a challenge in some regions as airlines maintain safe operations with minimal passenger inconvenience.

“The impact of such instability on oil prices – which remained low throughout May – is also a critical factor to monitor.

“Importantly, consumer confidence appears to be strong with forward bookings for the peak northern summer travel season, giving good reason for optimism.”

Traffic expansion on most key international routes to the Americas slowed in May, apart from transatlantic with a "modest" 2.5% year-on-year increase, said Iata.

European carriers had a 4.1% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 4.8% year-on-year, and the load factor was 84%, down by 0.6 percentage points compared to May 2024.

More: Leisure air demand soars but US and business traffic falls