The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has issued its data for February 2025 concerning global passenger demand. The overall passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), rose by 2.6% compared to the same period last year. Capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), increased by 2.0% year-on-year. The load factor for February was registered at 81.1%, reflecting a slight increase from February 2024.
International travel demand grew by 5.6% from February 2024, with a 4.5% rise in capacity and a load factor of 80.2%. In contrast, domestic travel saw a decline of 1.9% in demand compared to the previous year, with capacity decreasing by 1.7% and a load factor of 82.6%.
Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General, commented, “While traffic growth slowed in February, much of this can be explained by factors including the leap year and lunar new year falling in January compared to February last year. February traffic hit an all-time high, and the number of scheduled flights is set to continue increasing in March and April. But we need to keep a close eye on developments in North America, which saw falls in both domestic and international traffic.”