Iran Hostilities Cause Dramatic Fall in Air Passenger Demand for Middle East Airlines

Iran War Drives Middle East Tourism Slump — and a Global Demand Shift

Skift Take: Demand didn't disappear. It just left the Gulf — and it's not clear when it's coming back.Read the Complete Story On Skift

Middle East crisis weighs on global air travel

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has reported a decline in global passenger demand for April 2026, as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East continued to disrupt international air travel and push up operating costs. Total passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), fell 3.4% compared with April 2025. Excluding the Middle East, however, demand rose by 1.2%. Capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (…

Iran hostilities cause dramatic fall in air passenger demand for Middle East airlines

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released data showing that global passenger demand has fallen, with international air travel dropping more than domestic journeys. The figures are in line with other reports indicating that travellers are staying closer to home since the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East in February 2026 amid what IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh described as a “highly volatile” situation for av…