The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released global passenger traffic data for March 2025, highlighting a continued—though uneven—growth in air travel demand.
Key Highlights:
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Total passenger demand (measured in revenue passenger kilometers, or RPKs) rose 3.3% year-on-year, showing a modest acceleration from the 2.7% growth in February.
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Overall capacity (available seat kilometers, or ASKs) increased 5.3%, outpacing demand and resulting in a load factor of 80.7%, a decline of 1.6 percentage points (ppt) from March 2024.
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International traffic grew by 4.9%, while domestic traffic edged up by 0.9% compared to the same month last year.
“March continued the global trend of growing air travel demand,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. “But the rise in capacity outstripped demand, pushing load factors down from last year’s record highs. While growth remains resilient, there are headwinds on the horizon—from economic uncertainty to infrastructure bottlenecks. Meeting rising travel needs means addressing supply chain issues and ensuring airports and airspace can handle future demand.”
International Passenger Markets: Regional Trends
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Asia-Pacific: Led global growth with a 9.9% increase in demand. Capacity rose 11.6%, resulting in a load factor of 84.1% (-1.3 ppt).
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Europe: Saw demand rise 4.9%, with capacity up 6.9%. The load factor dropped to 78.2% (-1.5 ppt).
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Middle East: Experienced a 1.0% decline in demand, likely due to Ramadan timing. Capacity grew 2.8%, and the load factor fell to 74.6% (-2.9 ppt).
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North America: Posted a 0.1% drop in demand, an improvement from February’s 1.5% decline. Capacity rose 2.0%, and the load factor was 83.0% (-1.8 ppt).
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Latin America: Achieved 7.7% demand growth, with capacity up 12.1%, leading to a load factor of 80.9% (-3.3 ppt).
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Africa: Reported 3.3% demand growth with 3.5% capacity growth. The load factor was 70.1% (-0.2 ppt).
Overall international RPK growth slowed from 5.9% in February and 12.5% in January, as year-on-year comparisons continue to normalize post-COVID.
Domestic Passenger Markets
Domestic air travel saw modest growth of 0.9% year-on-year, with capacity rising 2.5%. The domestic load factor declined to 82.0% (-1.3 ppt).
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India and Brazil led growth at 11.0% and 8.9%, respectively.
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United States and Australia experienced demand contractions of -1.7% and -1.2%, weighing down the global domestic average.
Outlook
Despite some regional soft spots and slowing growth rates, March data reaffirms the continued post-pandemic recovery of global air travel. However, the imbalance between demand and capacity is putting downward pressure on load factors, underscoring the need for infrastructure investment and efficient air traffic management.
