Global aviation loses momentum in August

Excluding the Middle East, global demand for air travel rose by 0.6%, but at a pace half that of the growth seen in July.

Middle East most affected

Airlines in the Middle East recorded the largest decline among global regions, as total demand fell by 14.6% year-on-year, while demand for international flights dropped by 14.2%. Seat occupancy also fell to 78.9%.

IATA attributed this performance to the stalled recovery of the aviation sector in the region, in light of the repercussions of the war with Iran and geopolitical unrest. Travel traffic between the Middle East and Asia also fell by 11.7% in August, compared to 8.6% in July.

The organization warned that rising energy prices and declining purchasing power for travelers could pressure travel budgets in the coming months, despite expectations of a 2% increase in globally available seats in October.

Divergent performance of international markets

Globally, demand for international flights fell by 0.9% during August, with capacity remaining stable, but it rose by 1.3% when excluding the Middle East.

European airlines recorded a 2.1% growth in international demand, supported by a 12.2% increase in travel traffic between Europe and Asia, while transatlantic flights declined by 2.4%.

In contrast, international demand for airlines in North America fell by 1.7%, and in Asia-Pacific by 0.1%, while Africa and Latin America achieved growth of 6.7% each.

Domestic flights under pressure

Global demand for domestic flights declined by 0.5%, despite a 0.7% increase in capacity, and a drop in the passenger load factor to 85.3%.

India recorded the largest decline among the domestic markets monitored by IATA, at 7.5%, followed by the United States with a 2.9% decline and Japan with 2%.

Conversely, demand for domestic flights in China rose by 5.8%, supported by the summer travel season, and also increased in Brazil by 4.3% and Australia by 2.3%.