The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its data for November 2025 showing that global passenger demand has risen compared to November 2024.
The report showed that total demand measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK) had risen by 5.7 percent compared to data from November in the previous year. Total capacity, which is measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), also increased 5.4 percent year-on-year with a reported load factor of 83.7 percent, a record high for November.
International demand rose 7.7 percent compared to November 2024, with capacity up 7.1 percent year-on-year and a load factor of 84.0 percent. While domestic demand increased 2.7 percent compared to November 2024, with capacity up 2.7 percent year-on-year and a load factor of 83.2 percent.
“November 2025 saw continued strong demand for air travel with year-on-year growth of 5.7 percent,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, in a press release statement. “Load factors reached a new record of 83.7 percent for the month as airlines continued to satisfy growing passenger demand amid continuing capacity constraints stemming from challenges in the aerospace supply chain. The new year’s resolution for the manufacturing sector must be to increase production to meet the needs of their airline customers. The backlog of more than 17,000 aircraft orders that we reached in 2025 must be reduced in 2026.”
African airlines were the stand-out performer, with an 11.2 percent year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 8.5 percent year-on-year and the load factor was 74.3 percent (+1.8 ppt compared to November 2024).
North American carriers saw a 4.0 percent year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 4.2 percent year-on-year and the load factor was 81.0 percent (-0.1 ppt compared to November 2024). Looking at total traffic, North America has seen 10 consecutive months of year-on-year decline in load factor.
Latin American airlines saw a 4.4 percent year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity climbed 4.7 percent year-on-year. The load factor was 83.9 percent (-0.2 ppt compared to November 2024).
European carriers had a 6.8 percent year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 6.1 percent year-on-year and the load factor was 85.6 percent (+0.5 ppt compared to November 2024).
Asia-Pacific airlines achieved a 9.3 percent year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 8.7 percent year-on-year and the load factor was 85.8 percent (+0.5 ppt compared to November 2024). Geopolitical tensions led to traffic between China and Japan slowing to single-digit growth for the first time in 2025.
Middle Eastern carriers saw a 9.6 percent year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 9.2 percent year-on-year and the load factor was 81.4 percent (+0.3 ppt compared to November 2024).
For more information, visit iata.org.
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