Global Air Travel Soars 5.7% in Nov 2025, Africa Leads Growth

The total capacity for the month of November 2025, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), increased by 5.4 per cent. These figures supported a record-high November passenger load factor of 83.7 per cent, representing a 0.3 percentage point increase over 2024 levels, the IATA said in a statement.

"November 2025 saw continued strong demand for air travel with year-on-year growth of 5.7%. Load factors reached a new record of 83.7% for the month as airlines continued to satisfy growing passenger demand amid continuing capacity constraints stemming from challenges in the aerospace supply chain. The new year's resolution for the manufacturing sector must be to increase production to meet the needs of their airline customers. The backlog of more than 17,000 aircraft orders that we reached in 2025 must be reduced in 2026," said Willie Walsh, IATA's Director General.

Regional data indicated that African airlines recorded the strongest growth, with an 11.2 per cent increase in international demand. In the Asia-Pacific region, international demand rose by 9.3 per cent, though geopolitical tensions caused traffic between China and Japan to slow to single-digit growth for the first time in 2025.

European and Middle Eastern carriers also reported healthy international demand increases of 6.8 per cent and 9.6 per cent, respectively. Conversely, North American carriers experienced a 4.0 per cent rise in international demand but saw a slight decline in load factor to 81.0 per cent, marking the region's tenth consecutive month of year-on-year load factor decline.

In domestic markets, Brazil and India emerged as the fastest-growing sectors. Domestic India traffic grew by 7.7 per cent, while Brazil saw an 8.3 per cent increase.

In contrast, the United States was the only major market to report a decline in domestic demand, falling 1.8 per cent, which IATA said "perhaps due to the government shutdown".

- ANI