African airlines saw a 2.8% increase in passenger demand in July 2025, with their load factor rising to 74.9%, up 0.4 percentage points compared to July 2024.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for July 2025 global passenger demand, highlighting this growth and providing insights into regional air traffic trends.
The increase was driven by a notable surge in traffic on routes between Africa and Asia, reflecting growing international travel demand from the continent. Capacity on African carriers also grew 2.3% year-on-year, indicating airlines expanded seat availability to meet rising passenger numbers.
“African airlines saw a 2.8% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 2.3% year-on-year. The load factor was 74.9% (up 0.4 ppt compared to July 2024). Traffic on routes between Africa and Asia had a notable surge,” the IATA report read in part.
IATA’s data showed that while most global regions experienced slight declines in load factor, African airlines bucked the trend, demonstrating improved efficiency in seat utilization.
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Beyond Africa, other regions also showed solid growth in July 2025. Latin America led globally with a 9.3% year-on-year demand increase, but its load factor slipped to 85.8% as capacity growth of 11.3% outpaced traffic.
Asia-Pacific airlines posted an 8.7% increase in demand, reflecting strong recovery in long-haul routes, especially on the trans-Pacific and Europe–Asia corridors. Capacity in the region rose 9.0%, keeping the load factor nearly steady at 83.8%.
- European carriers reported a 4.0% growth in passenger demand. With capacity rising more slowly, the region maintained one of the strongest performances, achieving an 87.3% load factor—the second highest globally.
- North American airlines grew more modestly at 2.4% but remained the world’s leader in aircraft utilization. Their 88.4% load factor was the highest of all regions, though IATA noted that weaker North–South America traffic constrained stronger growth.
- Middle Eastern carriers rebounded after disruptions in June, with demand climbing 5.3% year-on-year. The region recorded an 84.1% load factor, reflecting its recovery in connecting long-haul markets between Asia, Europe, and Africa.
On a global scale, passenger demand rose 4.0% compared to July 2024, while capacity increased by 4.4%. This left the industry-wide average load factor at 85.5%. International markets continued to outperform domestic ones, with cross-border travel driving much of the growth.
Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, said the July results highlighted strong momentum during the northern summer peak travel season.
“That trend appears across all regions and is particularly evident for international travel,” Walsh stated, adding that airlines are well-positioned to carry the momentum into the coming months.
