Air traffic is growing again
Global demand increased by a modest 0.2 percent, while airlines are planning nearly three percent more seats for September
Global travel air transport In July 2026, it returned to growth following three consecutive months of decline. According to the latest data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs), was 0.2 percent higher than in the same month last year.
The relatively weak global result was mostly influenced by the fall in traffic on Middle East and weaker demand from North American carriers. When Middle Eastern airlines are excluded, global passenger traffic rose by 1.2 per cent.
Capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), increased by 0.3 per cent. Meanwhile, the average passenger load factor stood at a high 85.2 per cent, which is 0.1 percentage points lower than in July 2025.
Europe is recording steady growth
In July, European airlines achieved a total passenger traffic growth of 2.1 percent, while their capacity increased by 2.3 percent. The load factor stood at 87.7 percent, the highest among all global regions.
An even better result was recorded in the international traffic of European carriers. Demand rose by 3.1 percent, with a nearly equal capacity increase of 3.2 percent.
Traffic between Europe and Asia stood out in particular, surging by as much as 12.1 percent. That was the highest growth among all major international air corridors in July.
International traffic is still lagging slightly behind
Global international demand decreased by 0.1 percent compared to July of last year. However, this represents an improvement compared to June's drop of 0.6 percent.
Without the results of Middle Eastern carriers, international traffic would have grown by 1.5 percent. International capacity increased by 0.3 percent, while the load factor fell by 0.3 percentage points, to 85.2 percent.
Middle Eastern airlines recorded a 9.5 per cent drop in international demand. Although the result remains negative, it is noticeably better than June's decline of 13.9 per cent, which shows a gradual recovery of traffic through Gulf aviation hubs.
Domestic traffic is back in the black
Domestic passenger traffic rose by 0.6 per cent after two months of decline. The recovery was mainly driven by the Chinese market, where demand increased by 5.3 per cent.
Domestic capacity globally increased by 0.2 per cent, while the load factor reached 85.3 per cent. Among major markets, Brazil recorded the largest growth, with an increase in domestic traffic of six per cent.
Airlines are increasing the number of seats
Flight schedules show that carriers expect solid demand to continue even after the peak of the summer season. The global number of available seats is expected to be 1.9 percent higher in August than a year earlier, and as much as 2.9 percent higher in September.
The Asia-Pacific region is set to increase its capacity by 3.4 percent in September. In the Middle East, a lower number of seats than last year is still expected, but the decline is projected to gradually ease.
IATA's Chief Economist Marie Owens Thomsen assessed that the results of the summer season are largely positive, especially given high fuel prices, economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions. The announced increase in capacity shows that airlines still have confidence in demand during the final part of the year.
A detailed report is available at the IATA pages.
