by Natasha Lair
Last updated: 12:05 PM ET, Mon March 31, 2025
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has announced its February 2025 global passenger demand figures, revealing a mixed landscape.
Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), grew by 2.6% compared to February 2024, while capacity increased by 2.0% year-on-year, leading to a load factor of 81.1%, up 0.4 percentage points.
“While traffic growth slowed in February, much of this can be explained by factors including the leap year, and Lunar New Year falling in January compared to February last year. February traffic hit an all-time high, and the number of scheduled flights is set to continue increasing in March and April. But we need to keep a close eye on developments in North America, which saw falls in both domestic and international traffic,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
International vs. Domestic Performance
International travel continued to show resilience, with demand rising 5.6% year-on-year. Capacity grew 4.5%, and the load factor improved by 0.9 percentage points to 80.2%. However, North America was the exception, experiencing a 1.5% decline in international demand.
Domestically, global air travel faced a setback, with a 1.9% decline in demand and a 1.7% drop in capacity.
The U.S. market saw a notable 4.2% decrease in domestic traffic, possibly due to falling consumer confidence, while China’s domestic market dipped 3.2% due to the shift in Lunar New Year timing.
India showed strong growth with a 13.2% rise in domestic demand and a load factor reaching 90.3%.
Regional Trends
Most regions saw record levels of demand for February, except North America. Asia-Pacific carriers led the way with a 9.5% increase in international demand, followed by Latin America and Africa at 6.7% each, and Europe at 5.7%. The Middle East saw a more modest 3.1% increase.
Call for Reform in Passenger Rights Regulations
In addition to reporting traffic trends, Walsh addressed the financial burden of current European and UK passenger rights regulations, particularly in light of recent airport disruptions such as the Heathrow shutdown.
“The recent shut-down of Heathrow reminded us once again that the current passenger rights regime in place in Europe and the UK is not fit for purpose. The annual costs of compensation, care, and assistance run into the billions. Thankfully, the Polish Presidency of the EU has recognized that this is a drag on European competitiveness and is progressing much-needed and long-anticipated reforms to EU261. While many of the proposed reforms are sensible, the package stops short of a real solution,” he stated.
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