Global air passenger demand increased by 0.2 per cent year-on-year in July 2026, despite declines in North America and the Middle East, according to figures released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Excluding the Middle East, total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres, rose by 1.2 per cent compared with July 2025. Meanwhile, total capacity, measured in available seat kilometres, increased by 0.3 per cent, while the passenger load factor slipped by 0.1 percentage points to 85.2 per cent. International passenger demand fell by 0.1 per cent, although it would have risen by 1.5 per cent without the Middle East. International capacity increased by 0.3 per cent, while the load factor declined by 0.3 percentage points to 85.2 per cent. Domestic demand performed slightly better, growing by 0.6 per cent. Capacity increased by 0.2 per cent and the load factor rose by 0.3 percentage points to 85.3 per cent. IATA senior vice president for sustainability and chief economist, Marie Owens Thomsen, described the peak Northern summer travel season as “a mostly positive story for air travel.” She said the overall increase was achieved despite collective year-on-year declines among carriers in North America and the Middle East, adding that traffic through Gulf hubs continued to recover. Although high fuel costs, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions remained, Owens Thomsen said airlines were expressing confidence in demand for the last part of the year, with seat capacity expected to expand by almost three per cent in September.
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