Airlines see continued passenger growth as global travel rises four percent in July

“It’s been a good northern summer season for airlines. Momentum has grown over the peak season with July demand reaching 4% growth. That trend appears across all regions and is particularly evident for international travel, which strengthened from 3.9% growth in June to 5.3% in July. Moreover, with flight volumes showing a 2% year-on-year increase for September after five months of decelerating growth, airlines are positioned to take advantage of this market momentum into the coming months,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

Regional data shows varied performance across different markets:

- Asia-Pacific airlines recorded an increase of 8.7% in international passenger demand compared to last year, with capacity up by a similar margin.

- European carriers posted a rise of 4% in international demand and saw their load factors reach above industry average.

- North American airlines experienced a smaller gain of just over two percent in international traffic; however, routes between North America and South America declined slightly.

- Middle Eastern carriers rebounded after disruptions earlier this summer due to military conflict and reported a rise of over five percent in demand.

- Latin American airlines had one of the highest increases among regions at more than nine percent; intra-regional traffic was especially strong.

- African airlines’ international traffic rose nearly three percent with improved performance on routes connecting Africa and Asia.

In domestic markets, Brazil led growth among major countries tracked individually, while Japan achieved its highest ever July load factor since records began in the year 2000.

The latest figures suggest that global air travel continues its recovery despite some fluctuations across regions and market segments.