Global airlines association names 2025 the year of record high demand and delivers stern message

January 30th 2026

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released the 2025 full-year and December 2025 passenger market performance, showing record-high demand. Read More » Full-year international traffic (RPK) rose by 7.1% compared to 2024, while capacity (ASK) rose 6.8%. For December, global demand grew by 7.7%, capacity increased 7.9%, and the load factor declined by 0.1 ppt (compared to December 2024) to 83.9%. Asia-Pacific airlines posted a 10.9% rise in full-year international traffic in 2025 compared to 2024. Capacity rose 10.2%, and the load factor rose 0.5 ppt to 84.4%. The region finished 2025 with the fastest growth rate and highest load factor of any region. December 2025 traffic rose 7.5% compared to December 2024. Globally, total full-year demand in 2025 (measured in revenue passenger kilometers or RPKs) rose 5.3% compared to 2024. Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), was up 5.2% in 2025. The overall passenger load factor (PLF) reached 83.6%, up 0.1 ppt and a record for full-year traffic. December 2025 was a strong finish to the year, with overall demand up 5.6% year-on-year, capacity up 5.9%, and a load factor of 83.7%. “2025 saw demand for air travel grow by 5.3%, with international demand growing by 7.1% and domestic by 2.4%. This returns industry growth to align with historical growth patterns after the robust post-COVID rebound,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, before making a stern call for action: “The strong and continuous increase in demand puts into sharp focus two key challenges—decarbonization and supply chain.

The first, decarbonization, will protect future long-term growth. Governments whose economies grow because of aviation and whose citizens thirst for connectivity need to provide a supportive fiscal policy framework to rapidly accelerate progress, particularly for the energy sector to grow Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) production.

The second, supply chain challenges, was the biggest headache for airlines in 2025. People clearly wanted to travel more, but airlines were continually disappointed with unreliable delivery schedules for new aircraft and engines, maintenance capacity constraints, and resultant cost increases that are estimated to exceed $11 billion. Airlines scrambled to accommodate the demand by keeping aircraft in service longer and filling more seats on every flight. With load factors just shy of 84%, it’s clear that these measures were an effective band aid, but we need a real solution. It’s vital that 2025 proves to be the nadir of the supply chain crisis, and 2026 marks a rebound. Every new aircraft means a quieter, cleaner fleet, with more capacity and flight options than at any previous point in history, which is what airlines and their customers want to see,” he pointed out.