INTERNATIONAL. Air passenger demand in May grew by +10.7% year-on-year (in revenue passenger kilometres – RPK – terms), according to new data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The global aviation trade body, which represents 330 airlines, has revealed a +14.6% year-on-year increase in international passenger traffic, with a slower domestic passenger demand rise of +4.7%.
Regional passenger markets
All regions showed strong growth for international passenger markets in May 2024 compared to the prior year. Notably, the load factor increased in all regions except North America, IATA observed.
Fast-recovering Asia Pacific was once again the top-performing region in May, with a +27% year-on-year increase in passenger demand. Capacity increased +26% year-on-year and the load factor rose to 81.6% (+0.6ppt compared to May 2023).
This performance maintains Asian Pacific carriers as the largest contributor to industry-wide growth in the month, accounting for 42% of the year-on-year increase.
European carriers saw a +11.7% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased +11.3% year-on-year, and the load factor was 84.7% (up +0.3ppt compared to May 2023).
Middle East airlines saw a +9.7% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased +9% year-on-year and the load factor increased +0.5ppt to 80.7% compared to May 2023. Asian routes to the Middle East are particularly strong, now standing some +32% higher than in 2019, IATA observed.
Another notable development is the Europe-Middle East route, IATA noted, which saw an April-May RPK increase for two years in a row, reversing the previous historic pattern of a decline between these months.
In the coming months, IATA said it will become clearer to what extent these trends could be related to the Russia-Ukraine war.
North American carriers saw a +8.1% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased +9.7% year-on-year, and the load factor fell to 84% (-1.2ppt compared to May 2023).
Latin American airlines saw a sharp +15.9% year-on-year rise in demand. Capacity climbed +14.3% year-on-year, while the load factor rose to 85.1% (+1.2ppt compared to May 2023), the highest among the regions.
African airlines contributed a +14.1% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up +8.2% year-on-year, with load factor rising to 72.3% (+3.7ppt compared to May 2023). This was the fastest increase in load factor among all regions, although Africa still has the lowest load factor overall.
Domestic markets
Domestic demand increased at a stable pace in May. China’s growth rate surged in line with the post-Labour Day holidays, IATA noted. Japan declined -1.8%, which the trade body said possibly reflects low business and consumer confidence.
Reaction
IATA Director General Willie Walsh said: “Strong demand for travel continues with airlines posting a +10.7% year-on-year increase in travel for May. Airlines filled 83.4% of their seats, a record for the month. With May ticket sales for early peak season travel up nearly +6%, the growth trend shows no signs of abating.
“Airlines are doing everything they can to ensure smooth journeys for all travellers over the peak northern summer period. But our expectations of air navigation service providers (ANSPs) are already being tested.
“With 5.2 million minutes of air traffic control delays racked up in Europe even before the peak season begins, it is clear that Europe’s ANSPs have unresolved challenges. And the 32,000 flight delays over the Memorial Day weekend in May show that challenges persist in the US too. Airlines are accountable to their customers; ANSPs must be as well.
“ANSP performance matters to their airline customers and to millions of travellers. We all need them to do their job efficiently.” 
