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The International Air Transport Association (THERE IT IS) has published its data on global passenger and air cargo demand for August 2025, revealing a panorama of sustained growth and adjustments in the market.
Total passenger demand worldwide, measured in kilometers per revenue passenger (RPK), showed a year-on-year increase in 4.6% in august 2025, slightly outpacing the increase in total capacity (measured in available seat kilometers, ASK) what was of the 4.5%.
Average growth of 4% in August
This performance resulted in a load factor (Load Factor) of the 86.0%, an increase of 0.1 percentage points (ppt) compared to August 2024 and a historical record for the month of August.
International Growth vs.. Domestic
- International Demand: grew a robust 6.6% interannual. International traffic was the main driver of global growth, representing the 87% of the net increase in global RPKs.
- Domestic Demand: increased a 1.5% interannual.
International regional breakdown
The growth of international RPKs reached 6.6% interannual, with a load factor that also marked a historical maximum for the month.
| Region | Demand Growth (RPK) | Occupancy Factor | Additional Note |
| Pacific Asia | +9.8% | 85.1% (+0.2 ppt) | Driven by strong demand from China (+11.8%) and Japan (+12%). |
| Latin America | +9.0% | 84.7% (-0.2 ppt) | |
| middle East | +8.2% | 83.9% (+1.0 ppt) | The largest increase in load factor. |
| Africa | +7.1% | 79.7% (+1.3 ppt) | The largest increase in load factor. |
| Europe | +5.3% | 85.8% (0.0 ppt) | Load factor unchanged. |
| North America | +1.8% | 87.5% (-0.6 ppt) | Fourth consecutive month of year-on-year decrease in international load factor. |
Air Cargo Market Overview
The air cargo market also showed positive results in August 2025, marking the sixth consecutive month of year-over-year growth.
- The total demand, measured in freight ton-kilometres (CTK), increased a 4.1% compared to August 2024.
- The capacity, measured in tons-kilometres of available cargo (ACTK), went up a 3.7% interannual.
The Director General of the THERE IT IS, Willie Walsh, noted that “volumes continue to grow even as global trade patterns change”. He highlighted that air transport has benefited from a shift from sea transport for some high-value goods., as shippers seek to minimize the risk of tariff changes. What's more, growth patterns indicate a diversion of some flows away from North America, driving stronger growth on routes such as Europe-Asia, Intra-Asia, Africa-Asia and Middle East-Asia.
Several macroeconomic factors support cargo performance:
- World trade in goods grew 5.4% Interannual in July.
- Jet fuel prices were a 6.4% lowest year-on-year in August, in its fourteenth consecutive month of declines.
- The global manufacturing PMI index rebounded to 51.75, its strongest reading since June 2024, signaling growing manufacturing optimism.
| Region | Demand Growth (CTK) | Capacity Growth (ACTK) | Additional Note |
| Africa | +11.0% | +12.3% | The largest increase in demand of all regions. |
| Pacific Asia | +9.8% | +6.9% | |
| Europe | +3.2% | +4.2% | |
| middle East | +2.7% | +4.3% | |
| Latin America | +2.1% | +5.0% | |
| North America | -2.10% | -1.00% | The only region with a decrease in demand. |
August of 2025 proved to be a solid month for the airline sector, both in the passenger segment with a record load factor, as in loading, driven by changes in global trade routes and a favorable economic environment.
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