The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released June 2026 global air passenger market data. Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), was down 1.7% compared to June 2025. Excluding the Middle East, demand declined by 0.6%. Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), decreased 1.3% year-on-year, with a load factor of 84.2%, down 0.4 percentage points from June 2025.
International demand fell 0.9% year-on-year, while excluding the Middle East it grew by 1.1%. Domestic demand contracted 3.0% compared to June 2025, with capacity down 2.4% and load factor at 84.0%, down 0.5 percentage points. IATA Director General Willie Walsh attributed the overall decline to domestic market contractions in China, the US, and Japan, alongside weak but improving international demand for Middle East carriers.
By region, Asia-Pacific carriers saw international demand rise 0.4% year-on-year, European carriers 1.5%, Latin American carriers 3.5%, and African carriers 6.7%. Middle Eastern carriers experienced a 14% year-on-year demand decline, with capacity down 11% and load factor at 76.3%, down 2.6 percentage points. IATA noted that the Iran war continues to cause a highly negative year-on-year comparison, but the rate of decline halved month-to-month since April. North American carriers saw international demand decrease 1.0%.
In domestic markets, Brazil traffic was up 0.9% and Australia was flat, while all other major markets declined. The steepest falls were in China (-5.2%) and Japan (-3.8%), with IATA citing higher fuel prices as the likely reason.
Separately, IATA released June 2026 global air cargo market data. Total demand, measured in cargo tonne-kilometers (CTK), increased by 8.5% compared to June 2025, with international operations up 9.6%. Capacity, measured in available cargo tonne-kilometers (ACTK), rose 4.4%. Demand growth was positive in all regions, led by North American carriers at 13.1%, with Latin America and the Caribbean the weakest at 3.5%.
Walsh said air cargo demand growth outpaced global trade, supported by high-value technology products and urgent shipments, but noted continuing risks from Middle East hostilities and renewed US tariff focus. Global trade increased by 5.2% year-on-year. Jet fuel prices fell 20% month-on-month in June but remained 45.8% above year-earlier levels.
