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IATA says air travel demand strong in November
January 12th 2026
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported demand for air travel, measured by revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), rose 5.7% in November last year, compared with the same month in 2024. Read More » Capacity rose 5.4% year-on-year, while passenger load factor increased 0.3 of a percentage point to a record high for the month of November. "November 2025 saw continued strong demand for air travel," IATA director general, Willie Walsh, said. "Load factors reached a new record of 83.7% for the month as airlines continued to satisfy growing passenger demand amid continuing capacity constraints stemming from challenges in the aerospace supply chain. The new year’s resolution for the manufacturing sector must be to increase production to meet the needs of their airline customers." The airline lobby group said the Asia-Pacific region grew RPKs 7.8%, while capacity was 6.8% higher and passenger load factor climbed 0.7 of a percentage point to 85.4%. Despite the strong growth, the IATA report noted "geopolitical tensions" led to traffic between China and Japan slowing to single-digit growth for the first time in 2025.
