Global air travel demand grew 6.1% in February and marked a record occupancy rate

Global demand for air passengers grew by 6.1% in February 2026 compared to the same month of the previous year, according to data published by the International Air Transport Association.

Measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs), demand showed positive performance accompanied by a 5.6% year-on-year increase in capacity (ASKs). In this context, the load factor reached 81.4%, the highest level ever recorded for the month of February.

In the international segment, demand grew 5.9% year-on-year, with a 5.3% capacity expansion and an 80.5% load factor. Meanwhile, domestic traffic increased 6.3%, practically in line with capacity growth (+6.2%), allowing for a high load factor of 82.8%.

“The 6.1% growth in February confirms that there are solid fundamentals for a positive year in air travel demand. However, geopolitical uncertainty, especially in the Middle East, makes it difficult to project the full impact on the industry,” Willie Walsh noted.

The executive also warned that rising fuel costs, coupled with tight margins and capacity constraints, are already putting upward pressure on airfares. He further noted that airlines are adjusting their capacity deployments, particularly on routes linked to the Middle East or affected by fuel supply issues. In fact, the projected capacity growth for March has moderated to 3.3%, below previous estimates of over 5%.

Regional performance: Latin America leads growth

In international markets, demand growth reached 5.9%, with Latin America performing particularly well. A strong surge was also recorded in Asia, driven by demand associated with the Lunar New Year, especially on routes between Europe and Asia, which grew by 14%.

Latin American airlines led the expansion with a 13.5% increase in demand, followed by Asia-Pacific (+8.6%) and Europe (+5.0%). North America also showed a 5.0% increase, while the Middle East grew by just 0.9% and Africa by 4.8%.

In terms of occupancy, Asia-Pacific reached the highest level (86.6%), followed by Latin America (85.0%), reflecting a solid recovery and operational efficiency in these markets.

Domestic markets: boost from Brazil and China

Domestic traffic grew 6.3% year-on-year, driven primarily by strong demand in Brazil and China. In both cases, the dynamism of the domestic market was key to sustaining the sector's overall growth.

Brazil saw a 12.6% increase in domestic demand, while China's grew by 12.5%. The United States showed a more moderate increase of 1.5%, as did Japan (0.8%) and India (0.6%). In contrast, Australia was the only market to experience a decline (-1.1%).

With these results, the airline sector begins 2026 with positive prospects, although conditioned by external factors such as cost volatility and the geopolitical context, which could influence its evolution in the coming months.

Source: IATA.