by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:45 AM ET, Wed April 30, 2025
Global air travel demand continued to increase in March, according to new data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Total demand, which is measured in revenue passenger kilometers, increased 3.3 percent from the year prior, with total capacity up 5.3 percent. Load factors were down 1.6 percent from March 2024.
International demand continues to outpace domestic, increasing 4.9 percent from last year. Meanwhile, domestic demand increased at a smaller rate, 0.9 percent.
The Asia-Pacific region saw the strongest growth, at 9.9 percent. European airlines saw a 4.9 percent growth from last year.
Middle Eastern and North American airlines were the only ones to report a decline at 1.0 percent and 0.1 percent, respectively. IATA notes that the timing of Ramadan played a large role in the Middle East’s dip in travel demand.
North America was the only region to see a decline in air travel demand in February, reporting a 1.5 percent decline.
The U.S. and Australia both reported 1.7 percent and 1.2 percent declines in their domestic air travel demand.
“...There remains a lot of speculation around the potential impacts of tariffs and other economic headwinds on travel,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. “While the small decline in demand in North America needs to be watched carefully, March numbers continued to show a global pattern of growth for air travel. That means the challenges associated with accommodating more people who need to travel—specifically alleviating supply chain problems and ensuring sufficient airport and air traffic management capacity—remain urgent.”
The data surrounding North America and the U.S. coincide with earlier released data by the NTTO surrounding American travel spending: we currently have a trade deficit of $571 million, with more Americans spending their money overseas than international travelers do within the United States.
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