Global air passenger demand rose 3.8 percent in January 2026 compared to the same month a year earlier, with the overall load factor reaching a record high of 82.0 percent for any January on record, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Monday.
IATA said total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), grew 3.8 percent year-on-year while available seat capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), expanded 3.5 percent. The slightly softer pace of growth was largely a calendar distortion: the Lunar New Year fell in January 2025 but shifted to February 2026, depressing the year-on-year comparison for the month.
International travel was the stronger performer, with RPKs rising 5.9 percent against capacity growth of 5.8 percent, pushing the international load factor to a January record of 82.5 percent. Domestic markets, by contrast, were almost flat, with RPKs up just 0.1 percent as major markets including China, Australia, and the United States posted traffic declines. Brazil was a clear exception, recording domestic growth of 10.9 percent year-on-year.
Regional Highlights
Africa and Latin America led all regions in international demand growth, with African carriers posting 11.7 percent expansion and Latin American airlines up 11.4 percent. Middle Eastern carriers grew 7.2 percent, European airlines 6.3 percent, Asia-Pacific carriers 4.4 percent, and North American airlines 3.4 percent. Africa’s load factor reached 77.4 percent, still the lowest among regions, but up 1.1 percentage points versus January 2025.
IATA Director General Willie Walsh said underlying conditions remain supportive for the year ahead, with schedule data pointing to a 5.2 percent expansion in global seat capacity by March, which he described as the fastest expansion since April 2024. He cautioned, however, that recent geopolitical hostilities had introduced uncertainty into both traffic trends and fuel costs, urging states to protect civil aviation from harm.
Walsh also used the release to press governments on structural cost issues, warning that 2025 saw the slowest rate of new airline start-ups since 1999, which he attributed to rising infrastructure charges, regulatory burdens, and the cost of the energy transition.
