Total February passenger air traffic, as measured in revenue
passenger kilometers, increased 2.6 percent year over year, with capacity, as
measured in available seat kilometers, up 2 percent for the same period,
according to the latest International Air Transport Association monthly report.
The load factor was 81.1 percent, up 0.4 percentage points compared with
February 2024.
International February demand increased 5.6 percent year
over year, with capacity up 4.5 percent. The international load factor was up
0.9 percentage points to 80.2 percent, according to IATA. Domestic February demand,
however, fell 1.9 percent compared with February 2024, while capacity also was
down by 1.7 percent year over year, and the load factor fell 0.2 percentages
points to 82.6 percent.
"While traffic growth slowed in February, much of this
can be explained by factors including leap year, and lunar new year falling in
January compared to February last year," IATA director general Willie
Walsh said in a statement. "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."
[Report continues below chart.]
North America was the only region that saw February 2025 total
demand and capacity decline. Its demand was down 3.2 percent year over year,
while capacity declined 1.9 percent compared with February 2024. Its load
factor also was down 1.1 percentage points to 79 percent. Africa led with the
largest demand growth at 6.8 percent year over year, while Latin America
reported the largest capacity growth at 5.6 percent versus February 2024.
For February international demand, North America again was
the only region to report declines in traffic and capacity, with each down 1.5
percent and 3.2 percent, respectively. February's international load factor for
North America, however, increased 1.3 percent to 78.9 percent. The other five
regions reported growth in traffic and capacity, led by Asia-Pacific with a 9.5
percent year-over-year demand growth, and Latin America with a 9.9 percent
capacity growth.
Half of the six domestic markets in the IATA report reported
declining demand and capacity for February. The United States reported the
steepest traffic drop at 4.2 percent year over year, followed by Australia at
3.8 percent and China at 3.2 percent. The largest capacity declines were in
Australia (5.5 percent), China (4.5 percent) and the U.S. (1.2 percent).
IATA said that falling U.S. consumer confidence in may have
contributed to the decline in February's domestic U.S. traffic. The U.S. load
factor also declined, by 2.5 percentage points to 78.7 percent for February. India,
however, continued to show robust demand, with a 13.2 percent increase year
over year and capacity up 11.4 percent.
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