Regional performance

Global passenger demand sees 13.8 percent growth in March - IATA

In March 2024, all regions experienced robust growth in international passenger markets compared to the same period in 2023. 
However, load factor performance varied across regions, declining year-on-year (YoY) in three out of six regions. 
Asia-Pacific
The Asia-Pacific airlines continued to lead the way, witnessing a remarkable 38.5 percent YoY surge in demand. 
Capacity also saw a significant increase of 37.4 percent YoY, resulting in the region’s highest load factor of 85.6 percent, up by 0.7 percent points from March 2023. 

Europe
The European carriers saw a notable 11.6 percent YoY increase in demand, with capacity growing by 11.4 percent YoY. 
Despite this growth, the load factor only saw a marginal increase to 79.9 percent, up by just 0.1 percent points compared to March 2023.
Middle East 
The Middle Eastern airlines experienced a 10.8 percent YoY rise in demand, accompanied by a 13.9 percent increase in capacity. 

However, the load factor declined by 2.1 percent points to 77.5 percent compared to March 2023.
North America
The North American carriers witnessed a 14.5 percent YoY increase in demand, with capacity rising by 14.8 percent YoY. 
Despite this growth, the load factor decreased slightly to 84.7 percent, down by 0.2 percent points from March 2023.

Latin America 
The Latin American airlines reported a 19.7 percent YoY increase in demand, while capacity climbed by 18.3 percent YoY. 
Consequently, the load factor rose to 84.3 percent, an increase of 0.9 percent points compared to March 2023.
Africa
The African airlines saw an 8.1 percent YoY increase in demand, with capacity up by 11 percent YoY. 
However, the load factor fell to 70.3 percent, down by 1.9 percent points compared to March 2023.