Air Passenger Demand Up 5.7% in November 2025

Global Air Passenger Demand Rises 5.7% in November 2025: IATA

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its global passenger market data for November 2025, showing continued growth in air travel demand and a slight improvement in load factors.

Key Highlights

• Total demand (Revenue Passenger Kilometers/RPK) increased 5.7% compared to November 2024.

• Total capacity (Available Seat Kilometers/ASK) rose 5.4% year-on-year.

• Passenger load factor reached 83.7%, up 0.3 percentage points versus November 2024, marking a record high for November.

International and Domestic Performance

International passenger demand grew 7.7% year-on-year in November 2025. Capacity increased 7.1%, while the international load factor improved to 84.0%, also a November record.

Domestic demand increased 2.7% compared to November 2024, matching the 2.7% rise in capacity. Domestic load factor remained unchanged at 83.2%.

Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, noted that airlines continue to meet growing passenger demand while facing capacity constraints linked to aerospace supply chain challenges.

He also highlighted the need for aircraft manufacturers to increase production to meet airline requirements, noting the backlog of more than 17,000 aircraft orders reached in 2025.

Air Passenger Market by Region (Total Market)

Across the market, demand rose in most regions, with variations in growth rates and load factors.

• Africa: RPK +12.6%, ASK +9.1%, load factor 75.1% (+2.3 ppt)

• Asia-Pacific: RPK +7.8%, ASK +6.8%, load factor 85.4% (+0.7 ppt)

• Europe: RPK +6.1%, ASK +5.4%, load factor 86.0% (+0.5 ppt)

• Latin America & Caribbean: RPK +3.9%, ASK +3.9%, load factor 84.2% (-0.1 ppt)

• Middle East: RPK +9.5%, ASK +9.2%, load factor 81.5% (+0.2 ppt)

• North America: RPK +0.1%, ASK +1.4%, load factor 80.3% (-1.1 ppt)

Regional Breakdown: International Passenger Markets

International passenger demand rose 7.7% year-on-year in November. Compared to October, growth eased in most regions, except Africa.

• Asia-Pacific: Demand +9.3%, capacity +8.7%, load factor 85.8% (+0.5 ppt)

  • IATA noted that geopolitical tensions contributed to slower traffic growth between China and Japan, with traffic entering single-digit growth in 2025 for the first time.

• Europe: Demand +6.8%, capacity +6.1%, load factor 85.6% (+0.5 ppt)

• North America: Demand +4.0%, capacity +4.2%, load factor 81.0% (-0.1 ppt)

  • Load factors declined year over year for the tenth consecutive month, according to total traffic trends.

• Middle East: Demand +9.6%, capacity +9.2%, load factor 81.4% (+0.3 ppt)

• Latin America: Demand +4.4%, capacity +4.7%, load factor 83.9% (-0.2 ppt)

• Africa: Demand +11.2%, capacity +8.5%, load factor 74.3% (+1.8 ppt)

Domestic Passenger Markets

Domestic demand increased 2.7% year-on-year in November 2025, supported by a matching 2.7% increase in capacity. Load factor remained stable at 83.2%.

Among major domestic markets:

• Brazil and India recorded the fastest demand growth.

• The United States was the only major domestic market to report a decline in demand, which may be linked to the government shutdown.

Domestic Market Performance

• Australia: RPK +2.1%, ASK +5.7%, load factor 82.6% (-3.0 ppt)

• Brazil: RPK +8.3%, ASK +7.4%, load factor 85.9% (+0.7 ppt)

• China: RPK +6.3%, ASK +5.2%, load factor 82.9% (+0.9 ppt)

• India: RPK +7.7%, ASK +8.7%, load factor 88.5% (-0.9 ppt)

• Japan: RPK +3.6%, ASK +0.3%, load factor 87.1% (+2.8 ppt)

• United States: RPK -1.8%, ASK +0.2%, load factor 79.6% (-1.6 ppt)

IATA’s November 2025 data shows global passenger demand continuing to rise, supported by capacity expansion and steady load factors. International travel remained the main driver of growth, while domestic markets recorded moderate increases overall.