West Asia war drags global air travel demand down 3.4% in April: IATA

Global air passenger demand fell 3.4 per cent year-on-year in April 2026, marking a sharp slowdown driven largely by disruption in West Asia due to the ongoing conflict, according to data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), declined 3.4 per cent compared to April 2025, while capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), fell 2.9 per cent. The global load factor stood at 83.1 per cent, down 0.4 percentage points year-on-year.

IATA said the overall decline was heavily skewed by a collapse in travel demand from West Asian carriers. Excluding the region, global passenger demand would have grown by 1.2 per cent.

“The 46.6 per cent fall in demand for carriers in the Middle East due to war in the region was so acute that it dragged overall demand down 3.4 per cent,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general.

“The situation for air transport remains highly volatile. The cost of jet fuel more than doubled in April, which is pushing airfares up,” Walsh added.

International passenger traffic fell 5.3 per cent year-on-year, while capacity declined 5.1 per cent. However, excluding the Middle East, international demand rose 1.9 per cent during the month.

Middle Eastern airlines recorded the steepest regional decline, with passenger demand plunging 48.1 per cent and capacity falling 38.4 per cent. The region’s load factor dropped to 70.1 per cent, down 13.1 percentage points from a year earlier.

IATA noted that although traffic remains under pressure due to the Iran conflict, the pace of decline eased slightly following an uneasy ceasefire, even as airlines continue to adjust schedules in response to weaker demand and higher fuel costs.

With IANS inputs