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IATA says passenger growth slowed in January
March 4th 2026
International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported demand for air travel, measured by revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), rose 3.8% in January, compared with the same month last year. Read More » This was down from 5.8% year-on-year RPK growth achieved in December last year. Capacity rose 3.5% in January, while passenger load factor increased 0.2 of a percentage point to 82%. "The timing of the Lunar New Year partly explains the slightly slower 3.8% expansion in January, but the fundamentals are in place for demand to continue strong growth in 2026," IATA director-general Willie Walsh said. "Schedule data, for example, indicate a 5.2% increase in global seat capacity by March, which would be the fastest expansion since April 2024." The airline lobby group said the Asia-Pacific region grew RPKs 1.4%, well below the 6.3% expansion in December, which also reflected the shift in the Lunar New Year. Capacity was 1.8% higher and passenger load factor down 0.7 of a percentage point at 83.9% in the 31 days. Looking ahead, Walsh said the conflict in the Gulf region "introduced some uncertainty into the evolution of traffic and fuel costs". The IATA boss called for all states to "respect their obligation to keep civilians, and civil aviation free from harm".
