IATA reports 0.8% decline in global passenger traffic

Global air passenger traffic declined by 0.8 per cent year-on-year in August 2026, reversing the marginal growth recorded in July, as demand weakened across major aviation markets, particularly the Middle East and North America.

The International Air Transport Association disclosed this in its Air Passenger Market Analysis for August 2026, released on 30 September.

According to the report, the decline occurred despite a 0.3 per cent increase in available seat capacity, indicating that airlines expanded capacity faster than passenger demand recovered.

The industry-wide passenger load factor, which measures how much of an airline’s available seating capacity is occupied by passengers, fell by 0.9 percentage points to 85.1 per cent.

The report stated, “Both international and domestic traffic dropped in August, following one month of growth in July when traffic increased by less than one per cent YoY.”

International passenger traffic fell 0.9 per cent compared with August 2025, while domestic traffic declined 0.5 per cent. International capacity remained unchanged, while domestic capacity grew 0.7 per cent.

The report attributed the overall decline largely to worsening performance among Middle Eastern and North American carriers, while airlines in other regions recorded slower growth.

Middle Eastern airlines recorded the steepest decline, with passenger traffic falling 14.6 per cent year-on-year, compared with a 9.7 per cent contraction in July. Their passenger load factor dropped by 4.9 percentage points to 78.9 per cent.

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North American carriers recorded a 2.2 per cent decline in passenger traffic, marking their fourth consecutive month of contraction. The report linked the performance to weaker international demand and continued weakness in the United States domestic market.

In contrast, African airlines recorded a 4.4 per cent increase in total passenger traffic in August, while international traffic carried by African carriers rose 6.7 per cent.

However, capacity expansion outpaced demand growth in Africa. Available seat capacity increased  7.2 per cent, pushing the passenger load factor down by 2.1 percentage points to 77.5 per cent, the lowest among the regions analysed.

The report noted that African airlines accounted for 2.2 per cent of global passenger traffic in 2025, while their share of international traffic stood at 1.9 per cent.

Latin American and Caribbean airlines recorded the strongest overall regional growth, with passenger demand rising 5.3 per cent. Asian carriers recorded a 1.4 per cent increase, while European airlines posted 0.7 per cent growth.

Despite the August contraction, the report said global passenger traffic remained slightly positive for the year to date, increasing 0.4 per cent, while available seat capacity rose 0.1 per cent.

Looking ahead, the association projected continued growth in global scheduled seat capacity, forecasting a 1.6 per cent year-on-year increase in September and a 2.0 per cent rise in October.

The report added that passenger traffic figures were based on data from airlines across different regions, with historical statistics subject to revision.