Global passenger demand was running hot heading into the war in the Middle East with airline load factors hitting records.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) figures show revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), were up 6.1% on Feb 2025.
Total air capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), was up 5.6% year-on-year, shows the data, while the load factor was 81.4% — the highest Feb figure on record.
“The fundamentals for demand growth were in place for a positive year,’’ says IATA’s director general Willie Walsh on the strong start to the year.
However, without knowing the length and intensity of the war that followed the US-Israel attack on Iran, he says it is impossible to quantify the full impact that it will have on airline prospects.
. . . Capacity Changes
But Walsh says some things are clear: Fuel costs have risen sharply. With tight capacity and thin margins, air fares are already rising.
Airline capacity deployment is also adjusting, it adds—particularly for traffic to, from, or through the Middle East, or in areas where fuel supply is an issue.
Capacity growth scheduled for Mar has eased to 3.3% from earlier predictions of more than 5%, adds Walsh.
. . . Asia Pacific
In Feb, Asia-Pacific airlines recorded an 8.6% year-on-year increase in demand. Air capacity for the region was up 7.3% year-on year, and the load factor was 86.6% up 1% on a year ago.
Latin American airlines were the big movers with a 13.5% increase in Feb demand. Capacity climbed 9.3%.
