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Iata: Global air traffic up 5% in May as Asia-Pacific, Africa lead gainsThe International Air Transport Association (Iata) has reported a 5.0% year-on-year increase in global passenger demand for May 2025, with strong performances across most regions, led by Asia-Pacific and African airlines. The figures, released on 30 June, reflect sustained consumer confidence and travel demand heading into the peak Northern Hemisphere summer travel season. ![]() Source: Gerrie van der Walt via Unsplash "Air travel demand growth was uneven in May. Globally, the industry reported 5% growth with Asia-Pacific taking the lead at 9.4%. The outlier was North America which reported a 0.5% decline, led by a 1.7% fall in the US domestic market," says Willie Walsh, Iata’s director general. He adds: "Severe disruptions in the Middle East in late June remind us that geopolitical instability remains a challenge in some regions as airlines maintain safe operations with minimal passenger inconvenience. "The impact of such instability on oil prices—which remained low throughout May—is also a critical factor to monitor. Importantly, consumer confidence appears to be strong with forward bookings for the peak Northern summer travel season, giving good reason for optimism." International markets: Asia-Pacific and Africa outperformInternational passenger demand increased by 6.7% compared to May 2024, with capacity up 6.4% and a record May load factor of 83.2%. Asia-Pacific airlines achieved the highest growth at 13.3%, followed by African airlines at 9.5%. Africa-Asia remained the fastest-growing international corridor, expanding by 15.9% year-on-year. African carriers’ capacity rose by 6.2% year-on-year in May, with a load factor improvement of 2.2 percentage points to 74.9%. European airlines reported a 4.1% increase in demand, North American carriers saw 1.4% growth, and Middle Eastern airlines achieved a 6.2% increase. Domestic travel slows, US market contractsDomestic air travel demand rose 2.1% in May compared to the same month in 2024, with capacity up 2.8%. The global domestic load factor slipped by 0.5 percentage points to 83.7%. While most domestic markets saw positive growth, the US domestic market contracted by 1.7% year-on-year, attributed to economic headwinds and reductions in government-related travel. Chinese domestic travel maintained its upward trend, accelerating to a 7.4% increase, while Brazil’s domestic market posted a robust 18.3% rise—the strongest domestic performance globally. Regional performance snapshot• Africa: +9.5% RPK, 74.9% load factor |