Global passenger demand declined in June as weaker domestic travel in several major markets weighed on overall airline traffic, according to new data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), fell 1.7% compared with June 2025, while airline capacity declined 1.3%. The global passenger load factor slipped 0.4 percentage points to 84.2%.
Excluding the Middle East, global demand was down a more modest 0.6%.
International travel proved more resilient than domestic markets. International demand declined 0.9% year over year, while capacity fell 0.6%. Excluding the Middle East, international traffic actually increased 1.1%.
Domestic travel, meanwhile, dropped 3.0% from June 2025, with capacity down 2.4%.
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“Global demand for air travel was down 1.7% in June compared to 2025. This is largely due to domestic market declines in China, the US, and Japan, and weak but improving international demand for Middle East carriers. While Middle East performance improved, renewed tensions will not help the region’s recovery and the knock-on impact of rising fuel prices will continue to burden travelers with higher airfares,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
“People continue to travel, which is an important contributor to global economic growth. There is no doubt, however, that stabilizing the situation in the Middle East and normalizing oil supplies would improve prospects for airlines, economies, and societies the world over,” he added.
North American carriers see demand soften
North American airlines reported a 1.0% decline in international passenger demand compared with June 2025. Capacity fell 0.7% year over year, while the load factor slipped 0.3 percentage points to 86.9%.
The weakness extended to domestic markets, where U.S. traffic declined 1.2% year over year.
Other regions
European airlines recorded a 1.5% increase in international passenger demand, supported by strong growth on Europe-Asia services, which rose 11% year over year—the fastest growth among major international route corridors.
Latin American carriers saw international demand increase 3.5%, while African airlines posted a 6.7% gain.
RELATED: New IATA Report Finds Global Air Travel Demand Fell in April
Asia-Pacific airlines reported a 0.4% increase in international demand despite capacity reductions, with some carriers cutting short-haul services because of higher fuel prices.
Middle Eastern airlines experienced a 14% drop in international demand, although IATA said the pace of decline has eased since April as airline operations gradually normalize and year-over-year comparisons become less severe.
Overall, Africa recorded the strongest regional passenger growth at 3.8%, followed by Latin America and the Caribbean (1.5%) and Europe (0.8%). The Middle East saw the steepest overall decline at 13.9%, while Asia-Pacific traffic fell 2.0%.
Domestic markets under pressure
Domestic passenger traffic declined 3.0% globally, driven by falling demand in most major markets.
China recorded the steepest decline, with domestic traffic down 5.2%, followed by Japan at 3.8% and the United States at 1.2%. India's domestic market slipped 0.5%, while Australia was flat and Brazil posted a 0.9% increase.
IATA said higher fuel prices were the likely reason behind the declines in China and Japan, with both markets also recording lower passenger load factors.
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