Asia Pacific airlines carry 30.4 million international passengers in September, up 0.7%

Air cargo demand rose 6.4% year-on-year in the same period.

By SafarSamachar Desk1 Nov 2026, 3:52 am IST

Illustration

Illustration: SafarSamachar Pix Desk, created with AI assistance. Not a photograph of the event.

Key facts at a glance

1Asia Pacific airlines carried 30.4 million international passengers in September 2026.
2International passenger numbers rose 0.7% year-on-year.
3Air cargo demand grew 6.4% year-on-year in September.
4Passenger demand measured in RPK rose 5.9%.
5Average international passenger load factor fell to 80.2%.

Asia Pacific airlines carried 30.4 million international passengers in September 2026, a 0.7% increase compared to the same month the previous year. This marks the end of five consecutive months of year-on-year declines in passenger numbers.

The growth was driven partly by passengers choosing routes that avoided Middle East hubs, while longer-haul markets continued to expand.

International air cargo demand rose 6.4% year-on-year, outpacing the 4.9% increase in freight capacity. This led to a 0.8 percentage point rise in the average international freight load factor to 60.3%. Stronger global manufacturing activity and increased demand for AI-related goods supported the growth in cargo demand.

What this means for travellers

Travellers flying to or from Asia Pacific may see slightly higher passenger numbers and continued strong cargo demand, which could affect flight availability and pricing, especially on longer-haul routes.

Sources

This brief was written with AI assistance from the reports listed above, following our accuracy rules; it has not yet been individually reviewed by an editor. Read our editorial policy.Rules and schedules change - confirm with the airline or embassy before you travel. Spotted an error? Tell us.