The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced global air passenger demand results for August 2025, confirming a new record high for the peak northern summer travel season, driven by strong international traffic.
Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), rose 4.6% compared to August 2024. Crucially, the August load factor (the percentage of seats filled) reached an all-time high for the month, standing at 86.0% (+0.1 percentage points year-on-year), demonstrating maximum operational efficiency across the global fleet.
“August year-on-year demand growth of 4.6% confirms that the 2025 peak northern summer travel season reached a new record high,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. “Moreover, planes were operating with more seats filled than ever with a record load factor of 86%. Despite economic uncertainties and geopolitical tensions, the global growth trend shows no signs of abating.”
Mr. Walsh added a critical note on industry logistics: “Airlines are doing their best to meet travel demand by maximizing efficiency, making it even more critical for the aerospace manufacturing sector to sort out its supply chain challenges.”
August Market Performance Summary
| Metric | August 2025 YoY Growth (RPK) | Capacity (ASK) YoY Growth | Load Factor (PLF) | PLF Change (ppt) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Market | 4.6% | 4.5% | 86.0% | +0.1 |
| International Demand | 6.6% | 6.5% | 85.8% | +0.1 |
| Domestic Demand | 1.5% | 1.3% | 86.3% | +0.1 |
International traffic was the dominant engine of growth, rising by 6.6% year-on-year and accounting for a significant 87% of the net increase in global RPK for the month. Domestic demand, while robust, increased at a more modest 1.5% pace.
International Regional Performance
The Middle East and Latin America led the strong international expansion, while North American carriers faced a challenging month.
- Middle Eastern carriers posted an 8.2% increase in demand, benefiting from robust capacity growth of 6.9%. The region’s load factor improved significantly by +1.0 ppt to 83.9%.
- Latin American airlines saw demand climb 9.0% year-on-year. While capacity slightly outpaced demand, the region remains a strong contributor to global recovery.
- Asia-Pacific airlines achieved a 9.8% year-on-year increase in demand, fueled by exceptionally strong contributions from China (+11.8%) and Japan (+12.0%).
- African airlines recorded a 7.1% increase in demand, coupled with a healthy load factor increase of +1.3 ppt to 79.7%.
- European carriers recorded a 5.3% rise in demand, with capacity increasing at the same rate, resulting in a flat load factor year-on-year.
- North American carriers saw the weakest international performance, with demand rising just 1.8%. Capacity increased by 2.6%, leading to a load factor decline of -0.6 ppt (to 87.5%). This marks the fourth consecutive month of year-on-year international load factor declines for North American airlines.
