The World is no longer flying as Africa takes onto the sky in full force

It seems elsewhere across the world people are no longer flying but in Africa, passengers are taking onto the sky in full force.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for May 2026 global passenger demand indicating a drop of over 2 percent in revenue passenger kilometers.

Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), was down 2.2 percent compared to May 2025.

Excluding the Middle East, where demand grew by 0.7 percent.

Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), decreased 2.3 percent year-on-year.

The load factor was 83.5 percent (+0.1 ppt compared to May 2025), a record high for May.

International demand fell 1.6 percent compared to May 2025. Excluding the Middle East, where demand grew by 3.1 percent.

Capacity was down by 2.4 percent year-on-year, and the load factor was 83.7​ percent (+0.7 ppt compared to May 2025).

Domestic demand contracted 3.1% compared to May 2025. Capacity decreased by 2.1 percent year-on-year.

The load factor was 83.0 percent (-0.8 ppt compared to May 2025).

“Air passenger demand was down 2.2 percent year-on-year in May on the impact of war in the Middle East. The decline was centered on carriers in the Middle East with a 28.4 percent year-on-year fall.

That’s a significant improvement on the 46.6 percent decline recorded for April, a sign of the region’s resilience.

Notably, we also saw year-on-year contractions in demand in both North America and Asia, largely related to domestic market conditions in the US and China.

Overall, May demand still appeared to be largely resilient in the face of high fuel prices and air fares.

While the recent sharp drop in oil prices is an encouraging development, the challenges created by the war will likely persist for some time.

Oil supply through the Strait of Hormuz remains uncertain and it is likely to take time before the benefit of lower oil prices is reflected in ‘normalized’ jet fuel pricing.

In the meantime, airlines who are operating on a 2.0 percent margin will have little choice but to continue testing demand resilience with higher fares that attempt to cover elevated fuel costs,” said Willie Walsh, the IATA’s Director General. 

Regional Breakdown – International Passenger Markets

International RPK fell 1.6 percent, with capacity falling 2.4 percent.

The pace of decline reduced compared to April and many regions hit record load factors for May, with only the Middle East posting a load factor decline.

Asia-Pacific airlines achieved a 1.3 percent year-on-year increase in demand.

Capacity decreased 1.1 percent year-on-year, and the load factor was 85.3 percent (+2.0 ppt compared to May 2025).

In Vietnam, tighter limits on jet fuel imports led to significant capacity cuts on short haul routes, resulting in a decline in intra-Asia international traffic during the month.

European carriers saw a 3.8 percent year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 2.3 percent year-on-year, and the load factor was 85.4% (+1.2 ppt compared to May 2025).

Of note is the 15 percent increase in direct traffic to Asia, reflecting a continued shift to direct services between the two regions.

North American carriers increased demand 1.0 percent year-on-year.

Capacity increased 0.6 percent year-on-year, and the load factor was 84.0 percent (+0.4 ppt compared to May 2025).

Middle Eastern carriers saw a 28.8​ percent  year-on-year decrease in demand. 

Capacity fell 24.3​ percent year-on-year, and the load factor was 76.1​ percent (-4.8 ppt compared to May 2025).

The impacts of the Iran war continue to cause a highly negative year-on-year traffic comparison, but month-to-month the impact is lessening and the rate of decline was almost half that of April.

Latin American airlines achieved a 10.5​ percent year-on-year increase in demand.

Capacity climbed 9.0 percent year-on-year. The load factor was 85.0 percent (+1.2​ percent ppt compared to May 2025).

African airlines saw an 8.9 percent year-on-year increase in demand. 

Capacity was up 8.3 percent year-on-year.

The load factor was 73.4 percent  (+0.4 ppt compared to May 2025).

Domestic Passenger Markets

Domestic Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK) fell (-3.1 percent) in May 2026 compared to the same month last year, with the largest fall in China, which may be linked to higher fares or the Dragon Boat Festival occurring in June this year.

The United States also had a notable decline while most other markets achieved moderate growth.

Note: the six domestic passenger markets for which broken-down data are available account for approximately 29.6 percent of global total Revenue Passenger Kilometers and 79.4 percent of total domestic RPKs