The decline was less pronounced than in August, when global passenger traffic fell by 0.8%. International demand returned to growth, increasing by 0.4%, while domestic travel weakened further, dropping by 2.2%.
Excluding the Middle East, global passenger demand grew by 0.3% in September. The figures measure traffic in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), which reflects the number of passengers carried and the distance they travel.
Africa and Latin America lead regional growth
African airlines recorded the strongest growth in total passenger demand among the regions, with traffic rising by 5% year on year. Capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), expanded by 7.7%, outpacing demand and bringing the passenger load factor down by 1.9 percentage points to 73.5%.
On international routes, African carriers recorded an 8% increase in demand, while capacity grew by 8.8%. Their international load factor stood at 74.8%, down 0.6 percentage points from September 2025.
Latin American and Caribbean airlines also posted strong results. Total passenger demand increased by 4.3%, while international traffic grew by 8.2%, the highest rate among the regions for international travel. Capacity on international routes rose by 7.6%, lifting the load factor by 0.5 percentage points to 83.9%.
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European carriers recorded a 0.3% increase in total demand and a stronger 1.8% rise in international traffic. Their international load factor reached 86.1%, up 0.5 percentage points and the highest among the regions.
Traffic on transatlantic routes remained slightly below last year’s level, falling by 0.6%. However, this was an improvement from the 2.5% decline recorded in August.
Middle East remains the main source of weakness
Middle Eastern airlines continued to face the steepest contraction. Total passenger demand fell by 8% in September, compared with a 14.6% decline in August.
International traffic dropped by 7.5%, while capacity decreased by 3.3%. The passenger load factor fell by 3.6 percentage points to 78.3%.
The Middle East-Asia corridor recorded an 8.8% decline in traffic, deeper than the 7.9% contraction in August. Demand on routes connecting the region with North America fell by 3%.
North American carriers also reported weaker results, with total passenger demand down 1.6% year on year. International demand was unchanged, while capacity on international routes fell by 1.9%.
The region’s domestic market remained under pressure, with US passenger traffic declining by 2.7% in September, marking its fifth consecutive monthly contraction. IATA said subdued consumer confidence may have weighed on discretionary travel.
Domestic travel falls in India and the United States
Global domestic passenger demand fell by 2.2% in September, compared with a 0.6% decline in August. The drop came despite growth in Australia, Brazil and China.
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India recorded the steepest decline among the major domestic markets, with passenger traffic falling by 8.3%, its largest year-on-year contraction so far in 2026. Capacity decreased by 7.9%.
China’s domestic market grew by 3.1%, although this was slower than the 5.8% increase recorded in August. Brazil posted a 2% rise, while Australia recorded growth of 4.5%.
Japan’s domestic traffic fell by 0.8%, partly because of weather-related flight disruptions during part of the Silver Week travel period.
Airline capacity growth remains modest
Despite the decline in September, airlines are expected to maintain global seat capacity above 2025 levels during the final two months of the year.
IATA expects scheduled capacity to grow by 0.6% year on year in October and 1.5% in November. The outlook remains uneven, however, with Middle Eastern capacity projected to remain below year-earlier levels by 9.9% in October and 8.5% in November.
The global passenger load factor, which measures how much of the available seat capacity is filled, stood at 83.2% in September, down 0.3 percentage points from a year earlier.
