October Global Air Passenger Demand Growth Accelerates to 6.6%

Here’s a clear snapshot of the October 2025 global air passenger demand report released by IATA:

Headline Numbers
- Total demand (RPK): Up 6.6% compared to October 2024
- Total capacity (ASK): Up 5.8% year-on-year
- Load factor: 84.6%, an increase of 0.7 percentage points

Regional Breakdown – International Passenger Markets
- Asia-Pacific: Demand up 10.9%, capacity up 9.1%, load factor at 84.4% (+1.4 ppt)
- Europe: Demand up 7.4%, capacity up 6.0%, load factor at 86.5% (+1.2 ppt)
- North America: Demand up 4.5%, capacity up 4.7%, load factor at 84.2% (-0.1 ppt)
- Middle East: Demand up 10.7%, capacity up 8.1%, load factor at 82.5% (+2.0 ppt)
- Latin America: Demand up 7.2%, capacity up 8.2%, load factor at 84.6% (-0.8 ppt)
- Africa: Demand up 7.3%, capacity up 5.3%, load factor at 74.1% (+1.4 ppt)

Domestic Passenger Markets
- Overall domestic demand: Up 3.4% year-on-year
- Standout growth:
- Brazil: +12.4% demand, +10.5% capacity, load factor at 85.2% (+1.5 ppt)
- China: +5.7% demand, +4.6% capacity, load factor at 85.5% (+0.9 ppt)
- India: Demand up 4.6%, capacity up 5.5%, load factor at 81.5% (-0.7 ppt)
- United States: Demand up 1.3%, capacity up 3.1%, load factor at 82.0% (-1.5 ppt)

Industry Insight
Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, noted that October was a strong month for air travel, with North American carriers showing recovery after months of flat performance. The outlook for November and December is positive, with scheduled seat capacity expected to expand by 3.6% in November and 4.7% in December, signaling robust demand for holiday and business travel.