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IATA says air travel resilient despite softer demand in May
July 1st 2026
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported demand for air travel, measured by revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), fell 2.2% in May compared with the same month in 2025 amid the ongoing impact of the conflict in the Middle East region and softness in North America and Asia. Read More » Capacity, or available seat kilometres, was down 2.3% year-on-year, while passenger load factor increased 0.1 of a percentage point to 83.5%. The airline lobby group said RPKs contracted 28.4% in the Middle East in May. "That’s a significant improvement on the 46.6% decline recorded for April, a sign of the region’s resilience," IATA director general, Willie Walsh, said of the Middle East market. "Notably, we also saw year-on-year contractions in demand in both North America and Asia, largely related to domestic market conditions in the US and China. Overall, May demand still appeared to be largely resilient in the face of high fuel prices and air fares." The IATA report showed demand slipped 1.4% in the Asia-Pacific region, while capacity was 2.4% higher and passenger load factor climbed 0.9 of a percentage point to 84.3%. "In Vietnam, tighter limits on jet fuel imports led to significant capacity cuts on short haul routes, resulting in a decline in intra-Asia international traffic during the month," IATA said.
