IATA: Global passenger demand grows by 3.6% in September 2025

The airline association IATA today published its data for September 2025, highlighting a 3.6% year-on-year increase in total passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK).

Global capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), increased by 3.7% compared to the same month of the previous year, while the average load factor was 83.4%, just 0.1 percentage point lower than in September 2024.

In the breakdown by traffic type:

International demand grew 5.1% year-on-year, with a 5.2% increase in capacity, and an occupancy factor of 83.6%.

In domestic markets the evolution was more moderate: demand rose by 0.9%, capacity by 1.1%, and the occupancy factor stood at 83.0%.

By region, the most relevant data includes:

The Asia-Pacific region saw a 7.4% increase in demand, with the strongest momentum driven by particularly strong growth in intra-Asia travel.

In Europe, demand rose by 4.0% and capacity by 4.4%, with an occupancy factor of 85.6%.

In Latin America and the Caribbean, demand grew by 5.3%, capacity by 6.8%, and the occupancy rate remained stable at around 83.3%.

In North America, on the other hand, demand practically stagnated with an increase of only -0.1% and an occupancy rate of 81.2%.

According to Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General:
“Strong international demand drove global growth of 3.6% in September. Importantly, capacity expansion came slightly ahead of schedule, but load factors remain very strong. With November flights on track for a 3% year-on-year expansion, airlines are preparing for further growth into the end-of-year season, despite persistent supply chain constraints.”

Implications for the Latin American Market
: For Latin America, the 5.3% growth in international demand indicates a rebound that could generate opportunities for airlines, tour operators, and destinations, as they benefit from the increase in travel. The slight drop in the load factor suggests, however, that competition for seats could intensify.
Domestically, while growth was lower than in international segments, the positive trend continues and is fueling the recovery of the tourism and business travel sector.

Outlook for the fourth quarter:
With an eye on the peak year-end season, the global aviation industry is entering a phase of cautious optimism: a planned 3% capacity expansion in November and a continuing recovery in demand are seen as encouraging signs for stakeholders in tourism, air transport, and MICE.

Source: IATA – “3.6% Air Passenger Growth in September”.