IATA Reports 6.1% Rise in Air Passengers, 11.2% in Cargo

Tashkent, Uzbekistan (UzDaily.com) — The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released global aviation statistics for February 2026, showing steady growth in both passenger and cargo segments, though rising uncertainty in the Middle East is putting pressure on the industry.

Total passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), rose 6.1% year-on-year. Available seat capacity increased by 5.6%, resulting in a record February load factor of 81.4%, up 0.3 percentage points from February 2025.

International demand grew 5.9% with a 5.3% increase in capacity and an 80.5% load factor. Domestic traffic rose 6.3%, reaching a load factor of 82.8%.

Regionally, passenger demand surged most in Africa (+11.9%), Latin America and the Caribbean (+9.2%), and the Asia-Pacific (+9.1%), supported in part by seasonal Lunar New Year travel. Europe rose 4.9%, North America 2.8%, while the Middle East showed the weakest growth — only 0.8% with a load factor decline of 2.5 points to 79.5%. Notably, Europe-Asia routes saw a 14% increase, particularly on connections to Spain and Italy.

Domestic growth was led by Brazil (+12.6% RPK) and China (+12.5%), while the United States and Australia recorded declines of 1.5% and 1.1%, respectively.

IATA Director General Willie Walsh described the results as cautiously optimistic, noting, “The 6.1% rise in February passenger demand shows that the fundamentals remain strong and set a positive tone for the year.” He added, however, that Middle East tensions are driving sharp fuel price increases and forcing airlines to adjust route networks. Capacity growth in March is expected to slow to 3.3% from previous expectations of more than 5%.

In the cargo sector, demand measured in freight tonne-kilometers (FTK) increased 11.2% year-on-year, including 11.6% growth in international traffic. Available capacity rose 8.5%, with a load factor of 46.0%, up 1.1 points.

African carriers led cargo growth (+21.0%), followed by Middle Eastern airlines (+16.5%) and Asia-Pacific carriers (+13.6%). Latin America and the Caribbean saw the weakest increase at 0.7%.

Major trade routes experienced strong gains. The Africa–Asia corridor grew 61.9% after eight consecutive months of growth, the Middle East–Asia route rose 24.0% over 12 months, and Europe–Asia increased 13.1% over 36 months. Asia–North America traffic rebounded, growing 9.1%.

IATA highlighted global merchandise trade growth of 5.2% in January and strengthening manufacturing sentiment — PMI in February reached 53.1, while new export orders rose to 51.4, the highest since July 2021 — as supporting factors for cargo demand.

However, jet fuel prices rose 1.2% year-on-year, and the widening Brent–jet kerosene spread reflects continued refining margin volatility. Walsh warned that the late-February Middle East conflict poses significant risks to the cargo sector through higher costs, fuel shortages, and disruptions at key Gulf freight hubs, urging a rapid resolution for the benefit of the industry.