IATA: Disruptions in Middle East had no impact on demand in passenger air transport segment

Passenger air travel demand increased by 2.1% year-on-year in March 2026, while cargo demand decreased by 4.8%, Report informs.

According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the plant load factor (PLF) in March was 83.6% (up 3.1 percentage points compared to March 2025).

According to IATA, international passenger demand decreased by 0.6% compared to March 2025.

Capacity decreased by 6.2%, while the plant load factor reached 84.1% (up 4.7 percentage points).

Domestic air travel demand increased by 6.5% year-on-year, with capacity increasing by 5.6% and the plant load factor reaching 83% (up 0.7 percentage points).

"Demand for air travel continued to grow in March despite disruptions in the Middle East. However, a nearly 61% decline in international traffic for airlines in the region curbed global growth, limiting it to 2.1%. Outside the Middle East, demand increased by 8%. The industry is focused on the aviation fuel situation, both in terms of supply and pricing. On the supply side, disruptions are possible in regions heavily dependent on supplies from the Persian Gulf, particularly in Asia and Europe, in the coming months. Meanwhile, record-high fuel costs are increasingly reflected in airfare prices," noted IATA Director General Willie Walsh.

In March 2026, the global passenger market was distributed as follows: Africa - 2.2%, Asia-Pacific - 34.5%, Europe - 26.6%, Latin America and the Caribbean - 5.4%, the Middle East - 9.5%, and North America - 21.8%.

"Demand for air cargo in March decreased by 4.8% compared to the same period last year.

This was primarily due to significant disruptions to key Gulf hubs amid the conflict in the Middle East.

Fuel supply and cost remain a key focus and are expected to be a key factor in testing the industry's resilience in the coming months," said Walsh.

In March 2026, the regional distribution of air cargo traffic was as follows: Africa - 2.1%, Asia-Pacific - 36%, Europe - 21.3%, Latin America and the Caribbean - 2.9%, Middle East - 13.2%, North America - 24.5%.

"The dynamics of air cargo transportation on key trade routes in March was uneven.

At the same time, corridors connected to the Persian Gulf region suffered significantly due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

On the Asia-North America route, annual growth was 0.8% (market share - 23.4%); on the Europe-Asia route, growth of 14.2% (21.5%) was recorded, Middle East-Europe - a decline of 57.6% (5.2%); Middle East-Asia - a decline of 58.6% (7.4%), within Asia - growth of 7.5% (7.3%), within Europe - growth of 2.3% (1.9%), North America-Europe - a decline of 3.4% (13.5%), Africa-Asia - growth of 22.6% (1.3%)," the update says.