HIBAPRESS – Agencies
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) stated that global airlines expect the number of their passengers in 2026 to reach a record 5.2 billion passengers, despite the global challenges affecting the sector.
The Association added that airlines are also expecting to achieve higher profits than previous expectations for the year 2025, and at a similar level in 2026. The Association, which includes about 360 airlines representing 80 percent of air traffic in the world, explained that profits for 2025 are expected to reach $39.5 billion after the association's annual meeting in June had predicted $36 billion. Willie Walsh, the Director General of the Association, said that the improved performance is "good news, considering the challenges facing this sector." He pointed out that the challenges include rising costs due to supply chain bottlenecks in the aerospace sector, geopolitical conflicts, the slowdown of global trade, and increasing regulatory burdens. Walsh attributed the improved expectations to the better performance of the air freight sector, which was achieved despite trade disputes resulting from US tariffs. A statement by the Air Transport Association quoted Walsh as saying that "airlines have been able to build resilience in their businesses that enables them to absorb shocks, and this is what achieves profit stability." The Association added that profits in 2026 are expected to reach about $41 billion, with the continued problems of aircraft availability restricting performance. Profitability expectations vary significantly between regions. Airlines in the Middle East are expected to record a net profit per passenger of about $28.6, compared to $10.9 in Europe, $9.8 in North America, $3.2 in Asia and the Pacific, and $1.3 in Africa. The number of passengers this year is expected to rise to just under five billion passengers, recording 4.98 billion passengers, compared to the previous record of 4.77 billion passengers in 2024.
