Conflict in the Middle East has seen travel slow, but not drop, shows the latest data from the International Air Transport Association.
Total demand for Jun 2025, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, was up 2.6% on Jun 2024. IATA director general Willie Walsh saying this is a slower pace than what has been recorded in IATA On Slowing Airline Growth previous months. Total capacity was up 3.4% year-on-year, though the passenger load factor dropped 0.6 percentage points to 84.5%, with this attributable to demand not keeping up with increasing capacity. While Latin America and Asia Pacific reported strong demand levels, the Middle East, North America and Africa struggled, says IATA.
. . . Regions
The airspace closure over the Middle East in Aug meant that the region saw a drop in demand, albeit just 0.4% year-on-year. African airlines were challenged in Jun, down 0.3%, with North American carriers also seeing a drop of this level. Demand rose elsewhere, and Asia Pacific was finally knocked off the top spot in regards to growth in demand as Latin American airlines reported a 9.3% year-on-year increase in demand. Asia-Pacific airlines saw a 7.2% increase in demand, and European carriers a 2.8% increase
