IATA: Global Air Passenger Traffic Declines Due to Middle East Conflict

Jakarta, KOMPAS.com - Global air passenger traffic growth slowed sharply in March 2026. This is in line with the impact of the conflict in the Middle East which has disrupted airline operations and impacted international traffic. The International Air Transport Association (IATA) recorded that global Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK) growth, or a measure of passenger demand, only reached 2.1 percent year-on-year in March 2026. In the Air Passenger Market Analysis March 2026 report, IATA stated that the slowdown was mainly triggered by operational disruptions to flights due to the conflict in the Middle East region. “The volume of traffic carried by Middle Eastern airlines shrank by more than half, amid the impact of the conflict in the region,” IATA wrote in its report, quoted on Friday (15/5/2026). Overall, total RPK for the global airline industry reached 754 billion in March 2026. Although growth slowed, the passenger load factor (PLF) actually recorded its highest ever for the month of March, at 83.6 percent. This is because global flight capacity, measured by Available Seat Kilometers (ASK), fell 1.7 percent year-on-year, while demand continued to grow. IATA recorded that the largest decline occurred in international flights. International passenger traffic fell 0.6 percent year-on-year in March 2026, reversing the 6.2 percent growth in February 2026. Because the decline in capacity was greater than the decline in demand, the international PLF actually increased by 4.7 percentage points to 84.1 percent and became the highest ever for March in the international segment. In contrast, domestic flights continued to grow positively. Domestic flight traffic increased by 6.5 percent year-on-year in March 2026, slightly higher than the 6.1 percent in February 2026. Domestic capacity increased by 5.6 percent, while domestic PLF increased by 0.7 percentage points to 83 percent.