Middle Eastern carriers have recorded a weak but improving demand for international air travel in June, according to monthly data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The region saw a 14% year-on-year decrease in demand alongside an 11% decline in capacity, with a load factor of 76.3%.
While the impacts of the Iran war continue to drive negative year-on-year traffic comparisons, the IATA revealed the rate of decline halved month-to-month since April. This reflects both the gradual normalisation of airline operations across the region and the lower comparison base, as traffic in June 2025 was impacted by the military strikes that month.
Meanwhile, overall passenger demand dropped 1.7% compared to the same period last year. Excluding the Middle East, demand still declined, although by a more modest 0.6%. Total capacity decreased 1.3% year-on-year, and the load factor was 84.2%.
Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, explained the decrease was largely due to domestic market declines in China, the U.S. and Japan and weak but improving international demand for Middle East carriers.
“While Middle East performance improved, renewed tensions will not help the region’s recovery and the knock-on impact of rising fuel prices will continue to burden the region with higher airfares. People continue to travel, which is an important contributor to global economic growth. There is no doubt, however, that stabilising the situation in the Middle East and normalising oil supplies would improve prospects for airlines, economies and societies the world over,” Walsh noted.
Outside the Middle East, performance varied significantly across global markets. African airlines reported the largest growth of 6.7% year-on-year, and capacity was 7% year-on-year. The load factor was 74.2%.
In the Asia-Pacific region, carriers achieved a modest 0.4% year-on-year increase in demand while capacity fell 1.1%, resulting in an 84% load factor. Slower growth was a result of some carriers cutting back on short-haul routes due to higher fuel prices.
European carriers saw a 1.5% year-on-year increase in demand against a 2% rise in capacity, achieving the highest load factor globally at 87.1%. Notably, growth on the Europe-Asia corridor was 11%, making it the fastest growth among all major international corridors.
Latin American airlines achieved a 3.5% year-on-year increase in demand as capacity climbed 6.3%, bringing the load factor to 81.6%. In contrast, North American carriers achieved a contraction, recording 1% year-on-year decline in demand and a 0.7% year-on-year decrease in capacity, with a load factor of 86.9%.
