By Mohamed Attia
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced that Middle Eastern carriers experienced a 0.4% year-on-year decline in demand for June 2025, a downturn attributed to ongoing political conflict and regional unrest.
This marks a notable contrast to the growth seen in most other global regions.
According to IATA Director General Willie Walsh, the conflicts significantly impacted key international routes.
Traffic to North America saw a substantial drop of 7.0% year-on-year, while demand on routes to Europe fell by 4.4%. Despite the decline in demand, capacity for Middle Eastern airlines increased by 1.1%, leading to a load factor of 78.7%, a decrease of 1.2 percentage points compared to June 2024.
While the Middle East faced challenges, other regions showed varying levels of growth.
Asia-Pacific airlines saw a robust 7.2% year-on-year increase in demand, with capacity growing by 7.5%. European airlines posted a 2.8% year-on-year rise in demand, with capacity up by 3.3%. Latin American carriers experienced the strongest growth, with a 9.3% year-on-year increase in demand, while North American airlines saw a marginal 0.3% year-on-year decrease in demand.
African airlines also saw a slight 0.3% year-on-year decrease in demand, though capacity remained flat.
