RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil: Airlines expect to carry more passengers this year but earn only half as much profit as in 2025, as high fuel prices don’t appear to be fully deterring travel, according to projections published Sunday.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicted its 370 member airlines, which account for 85 percent of global air traffic, will carry 5.1 billion passengers this year.
That is up 2.4 percent from 2025, when passenger traffic was estimated to have reached 4.98 billion. The four billion mark was surpassed in 2023.
Asked by reporters about the impact of the war in the Middle East compared to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020-2021, IATA Director General Willie Walsh replied: “I don’t see this as a crisis.”
“You’re looking at an industry that is forecasting growth,” he said. “If you extract the impact of the Middle East, we’re looking at growth of 3.5 percent.”
