Global air travel demand reached a record high in 2025 despite capacity limitations

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported that global air travel reached record levels in 2025, with year-on-year growth of 5.3% in demand, measured in RPKs (revenue passenger kilometers). Seat capacity, measured in ASKs, increased by 5.2%, resulting in an average load factor of 83.6%, the highest ever recorded for a full year.

International traffic was the main driver of growth, with a 7.1% increase in demand and a 6.8% increase in capacity. The international load factor reached 83.5%, also a record. In the domestic market, growth was more moderate: demand rose 2.4% and capacity 2.5%, with an average load factor of 83.7%.

December 2025 closed the year with a solid performance. Global demand grew 5.6% compared to the same month in 2024, while capacity increased 5.9%. The occupancy rate stood at 83.7%, confirming a sustained growth trend.

According to IATA, this behavior returns the sector to expansion patterns more in line with its historical average after the strong post-pandemic rebound. However, sustained growth exposes two major challenges. The first is decarbonization, considered key to ensuring the industry's long-term development, which requires greater government support to accelerate the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF).

The second challenge is the supply chain crisis, which directly impacted airlines during 2025. Delays in the delivery of aircraft and engines, limitations in maintenance capacity, and a sharp increase in costs, estimated at more than $11 billion, forced companies to extend the useful life of their fleets and maximize the occupancy of each flight.

In the regional analysis, Asia-Pacific led international growth with a 10.9% increase in annual traffic and the highest load factor among all regions, at 84.4%. Europe registered a 6.0% increase, while the Middle East grew by 6.7%. Latin America and the Caribbean saw an 8.6% increase in international traffic, although with the largest drop in load factor, which fell 1.2 percentage points to 83.6%. Africa, despite registering the lowest load factor, at 74.9%, achieved its best historical result and the largest year-on-year increase in this indicator.

In domestic markets, demand also reached record highs. Brazil stood out as the fastest-growing country in 2025, with an 11.1% increase in RPK. In contrast, the United States saw a 0.6% contraction. Japan showed the largest increase in the occupancy rate, with a 3.4 percentage point improvement, while India maintained the highest domestic occupancy rate at 85.2%.

IATA warned that while airlines have managed to absorb some of the growth by keeping aircraft in service longer and operating at high occupancy levels, these measures are only temporary solutions. A full recovery of the supply chain will be key to renewing fleets, reducing emissions, and offering passengers more capacity and flight options.

Source: IATA.