Published on
August 13, 2025
By: Tuhin Sarkar
LATAM Airlines, Ryanair, Wizz Air, Turkish Airlines, Volaris, Qatar Airways, Etihad Airways, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, and leading Chinese carriers soar in July 2025 with record passenger growth across global domestic and international markets.
LATAM Airlines and Volaris grew in Latin America. Ryanair, Wizz Air, and Turkish Airlines expanded in Europe. Qatar Airways and Etihad Airways improved connections in the Middle East. Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, and JetBlue strengthened the US market. Leading Chinese carriers pushed capacity and filled more seats.
LATAM Airlines Group delivered another strong performance in July 2025, continuing its upward trend in passenger and cargo operations. The group transported nearly 8 million passengers during the month, a 7.9% increase over July 2024. From January to July 2025, LATAM carried 49.5 million travellers, reflecting the strength of its domestic and international network. This growth came alongside higher capacity and improved load factors, confirming the airline’s position as a leader in Latin American aviation.
Passenger Numbers Reach New Heights in July 2025
In the seventh month of the year, LATAM Airlines Group carried 7.9% more passengers compared to the same month in 2024. Nearly 8 million people flew with the airline, benefiting from an expanded route network and greater connectivity. For the year-to-date period ending in July, LATAM recorded a total of 49.5 million passengers. This impressive result highlights the airline’s ability to meet demand in both business and leisure travel segments, as well as its success in maintaining competitive fares and quality service across markets.
Capacity Expansion Drives Market Share Growth
LATAM boosted its available seat kilometres (ASK) by 10% in July 2025 compared to a year earlier. This growth was fuelled by a 12.2% increase in international capacity and an 11.8% rise in domestic supply within LATAM Airlines Brasil. By targeting both long-haul and domestic markets, the group effectively balanced demand between regional and intercontinental routes. The increase in capacity allowed the airline to capture more passengers during peak travel periods while keeping operational efficiency high.
Higher Load Factors Signal Strong Demand
The group’s consolidated load factor, a key measure of seat occupancy, rose to 86.7% in July 2025, an improvement of 0.4 percentage points compared to July 2024. This growth reflects both strong demand for LATAM’s services and its ability to match supply to market needs. Passenger traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), increased by 10.4% year-over-year. The results show how LATAM is maximising its resources and maintaining profitability by keeping aircraft fuller on more flights.
International Routes Lead the Growth Momentum
International services were a major driver of LATAM’s July success. Capacity on international routes increased by 12.2%, supported by high seasonal demand and a network that spans North America, Europe, and other key global destinations. The growth in international traffic demonstrates LATAM’s competitive edge in connecting South America with the world. It also underlines the importance of strategic route planning, aircraft deployment, and alliance partnerships in sustaining long-term growth in international markets.
Domestic Brazil Operations Show Strong Gains
The domestic market in Brazil also delivered solid growth for LATAM in July 2025. Domestic supply in Brazil rose by 11.8%, positioning LATAM Airlines Brasil as a dominant player in one of the region’s largest aviation markets. Increased frequencies, competitive fares, and enhanced connectivity between major cities helped boost passenger numbers. This strong performance reinforces the importance of Brazil as a strategic hub for LATAM’s regional operations.
Cargo Segment Continues to Expand
Cargo operations also posted positive results in July 2025. LATAM increased its available tonne-kilometres (ATK) by 5.1%, reaching 703 million. The airline’s cargo load factor improved, reflecting efficient use of capacity in transporting goods across its network. This segment benefits from LATAM’s ability to combine passenger belly cargo capacity with dedicated freighter services. The growth in cargo operations strengthens LATAM’s revenue streams and supports trade flows within Latin America and beyond.
Year-to-Date Performance Remains Solid
From January to July 2025, LATAM maintained strong momentum across its network. The group’s total passenger numbers, capacity, and load factors all outperformed the same period in 2024. The consistent growth demonstrates resilience in the face of competitive pressures and operational challenges. LATAM’s balanced strategy of expanding both international and domestic services has proven effective in capturing seasonal travel surges and maintaining stable year-round operations.
Operational Efficiency Supports Profitability
The ability to increase both capacity and load factors is a sign of operational health for an airline. LATAM’s improvement in these metrics suggests that it is not only attracting more passengers but also using its fleet more effectively. High load factors combined with network optimisation enable the airline to spread costs over more paying customers, boosting profitability. In the current competitive environment, such efficiency is critical to sustaining long-term growth and shareholder value.
Positioning as a Regional and Global Leader
The performance in July 2025 strengthens LATAM’s standing as one of the most important carriers in Latin America and a significant player on the global stage. By growing its footprint in international markets and reinforcing its dominance in domestic Brazil, LATAM is building a network that serves diverse passenger segments. Its cargo operations further enhance its role in supporting trade and logistics across the region. These combined strengths position LATAM to take advantage of future growth opportunities.
Looking ahead, LATAM is expected to continue leveraging demand trends in both passenger and cargo sectors. Seasonal peaks in travel, upcoming holiday periods, and ongoing route expansion should support further growth. Challenges such as fuel price volatility and competitive market pressures will remain, but LATAM’s recent performance suggests it is well-prepared to navigate them. If current trends persist, the group could close 2025 with record passenger numbers and improved operational margins.
July 2025 was a record-breaking month for many airlines around the world. Carriers across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and Asia reported strong passenger growth in both domestic and international markets. Several airlines achieved all-time highs in traffic, capacity, and load factor. This performance shows how demand for air travel remains strong despite economic and operational challenges. From Ryanair’s record-breaking numbers in Europe to LATAM’s growth in South America, the aviation sector proved its ability to capture peak season demand.
Europe Leads with Record Passenger Numbers
Europe’s airlines saw a surge in passengers in July 2025. Ryanair carried 20.7 million passengers during the month, the highest in its history. This was a 3% increase compared to July 2024. The load factor remained strong at 96%, even though the airline had to cancel some flights due to air traffic control strikes in France. Ryanair also operated more than 113,000 flights during the month, reflecting a busy summer travel period.
Wizz Air also posted healthy growth. The airline carried 6.35 million passengers in July, up 6.8% year-on-year. Capacity increased by 7.9%, and the load factor stood at 92.8%. This growth was driven by strong demand in Central and Eastern Europe and new routes in the Middle East. High seat occupancy rates showed that the airline’s network expansion was matched by passenger interest.
Turkish Airlines recorded around 9 million passengers in July, an 8.4% increase from the previous year. The overall load factor reached 85.4%, with domestic routes achieving an impressive 90.6% occupancy. Available seat kilometres rose by 8.7%. The growth came from both the airline’s busy domestic market and its extensive international network through Istanbul.
Latin America Shows Strong Momentum
In Latin America, airlines continued to report robust results. Volaris carried about 2.8 million passengers in July. Domestic traffic grew by 2.9% year-on-year, while international capacity expanded by about 14%. The airline maintained a load factor close to 85%, showing its ability to fill extra seats in both markets.
LATAM Airlines Group also delivered strong results. In July, the group’s revenue passenger kilometres rose by 10.4%, while available seat kilometres grew by 10%. The consolidated load factor increased to 86.7%, up 0.4 percentage points from the previous year. Nearly 8 million passengers flew with LATAM during the month. Growth was driven by a 12.2% increase in international capacity and an 11.8% rise in domestic supply within LATAM Airlines Brasil.
Middle East Benefits from Network Expansion
Airlines in the Middle East also experienced positive developments in July 2025. Qatar Airways resumed services to Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria after regional airspace restrictions eased. This expansion improved connectivity across the region and boosted onward passenger flows.
Etihad Airways entered July with strong momentum from the first half of the year. In June, the airline carried 1.8 million passengers, up 16% year-on-year, with a load factor close to 88%. Passenger numbers for the first six months of 2025 were up 17% compared to the previous year. These gains set the stage for solid July performance during the summer peak.
United States Maintains Summer Strength
In the United States, official July traffic data is less frequently published at the airline level. However, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screening figures showed that passenger volumes remained high throughout the month. Delta Air Lines topped the list for on-time performance in July, an indicator of operational strength during peak travel demand. Other carriers, such as Alaska Airlines and JetBlue, noted improving demand in late July during earnings updates, suggesting a solid summer season across the market.
Asia-Pacific Enjoys Growing Demand
Asia-Pacific markets also experienced rising demand in July. In China, weekly passenger numbers at the end of the month were up 5% compared to July 2024 and 22% higher than in 2019. The average load factor was around 84.6%. These figures show that air travel in China has not only recovered from the pandemic but is now exceeding pre-pandemic levels. Airlines in the region have benefited from strong domestic travel and the gradual recovery of international routes.
Load Factors Reflect Efficient Operations
One of the most important indicators of airline performance is the load factor, which measures how full flights are. In July 2025, several airlines maintained or improved their load factors despite increasing capacity. Ryanair’s 96% load factor, Wizz Air’s 92.8%, Turkish Airlines’ domestic 90.6%, and LATAM’s 86.7% are all signs of strong demand and efficient capacity management.
High load factors mean airlines are making the most of their available seats, which supports profitability. It also shows that route planning and pricing strategies are in line with market demand. For budget carriers like Ryanair and Wizz Air, high occupancy is essential to maintaining low fares while staying profitable.
Capacity Growth Meets Seasonal Demand
Many airlines increased capacity in July to meet seasonal demand. Ryanair added more flights across Europe. Wizz Air expanded in Central and Eastern Europe and into the Middle East. Turkish Airlines boosted both domestic and international capacity. LATAM and Volaris added seats on key international and domestic routes in Latin America. These increases allowed airlines to capture more passengers without hurting load factors.
Capacity growth also shows confidence in the market. Airlines only add significant capacity when they believe there is enough demand to fill the seats. The July results confirmed that this demand existed in many regions.
Regional Highlights Show Diverse Strategies
While all these airlines experienced growth, their strategies were tailored to their specific markets. Ryanair and Wizz Air relied heavily on European leisure travel, offering low fares and frequent flights to popular destinations. Turkish Airlines benefited from its hub in Istanbul, which connects Europe, Asia, and Africa. LATAM leveraged both its Brazilian domestic network and long-haul international routes. Volaris focused on cross-border growth between Mexico and the United States. Qatar Airways and Etihad capitalised on improved regional access and strong connecting traffic.
These strategies underline the importance of understanding each market’s needs and opportunities. Airlines that align their networks and services with market demand are better positioned to succeed.
Outlook for the Rest of 2025
The strong results in July 2025 set a positive tone for the rest of the year. Airlines will look to maintain momentum into the late summer and early autumn travel periods. Challenges such as fuel price volatility, operational disruptions, and economic uncertainty remain. However, the ability to grow passenger numbers, increase capacity, and maintain high load factors suggests that many carriers are well-prepared to navigate these challenges.
For passengers, the continued growth means more flight options and potentially competitive fares as airlines compete for market share. For the industry, it signals that air travel demand is strong and that recovery from the pandemic is complete in many markets.
July 2025 was a standout month for global aviation. Airlines across Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, the United States, and Asia reported strong passenger growth and healthy load factors. Each market showed unique strengths, from Ryanair’s record-breaking numbers to LATAM’s balanced international and domestic expansion. The results highlight the resilience of the industry and its ability to adapt to shifting market conditions. As the year progresses, these trends suggest that global air travel will remain strong, offering opportunities for growth and innovation.
