African carriers lead as global air travel hits November record

Global air passenger demand grew 5.7% in November 2025 compared to the same month last year, hitting a record load factor for the month of 83.7%, according to new data from the International Air Transport Association (Iata).

Source: Gerrie van der Walt via Unsplash

Airlines continued to face capacity constraints amid ongoing challenges in the aerospace supply chain.

International market performance

International travel led the growth with a 7.7% year-on-year increase in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK). Total international capacity rose 7.1%, pushing the load factor to 84.0% — a record for November.

“November 2025 saw continued strong demand for air travel with year-on-year growth of 5.7%. Load factors reached a new record of 83.7% 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 its airline customers. The backlog of more than 17,000 aircraft orders that we reached in 2025 must be reduced in 2026,” said Willie Walsh, Iata’s director general.

Regional highlights

• Asia-Pacific: Demand rose 9.3% with capacity up 8.7%; load factor at 85.8%. Growth between China and Japan slowed due to geopolitical tensions.
• Europe: Demand increased 6.8%, capacity up 6.1%, load factor 85.6%.
• North America: Demand grew 4.0%, capacity up 4.2%, load factor 81.0%; load factor has now declined for 10 consecutive months.
• Middle East: Demand up 9.6%, capacity 9.2%, load factor 81.4%.
• Latin America: Demand rose 4.4%, capacity 4.7%, load factor 83.9%.
• Africa: The strongest performer, demand climbed 11.2%, capacity up 8.5%, load factor 74.3%.

Domestic markets show steady gains

Globally, domestic passenger traffic increased 2.7% in November, with the load factor stable at 83.2%. Brazil and India led domestic growth, while US domestic demand fell slightly, likely affected by the government shutdown.

Key domestic markets (year-on-year growth in RPK):

• Brazil: 8.3%
• India: 7.7%
• China: 6.3%
• Japan: 3.6%
• Australia: 2.1%
• United States: -1.8%

The six largest domestic markets account for roughly 30% of global RPK and 79% of domestic RPKs.