14-Jul-2026 10:21 AM
ICAO: Middle East ASKs down 27% in May-2026
ICAO reported (13-Jul-2026) the following traffic highlights for May-2026:
- ASK: +5.5% year-on-year;
- Africa: +5.4%;
- Asia Pacific: -2.0%;
- Europe: +2.0%;
- Latin America/Caribbean: +1.4%;
- Middle East: -27.2%;
- North America: +0.1%. [more - original PR]
Background ✨
IATA reported global passenger demand fell 2.2% year-on-year in May-2026, with capacity down 2.3% and load factor up 0.1pp to 83.5%; the Middle East recorded a 28.4% traffic decline and 23.9% capacity reduction.1 ICAO previously reported Apr-2026 ASKs fell 3.2% year-on-year, including a 44.5% Middle East decline, while RPKs rose 4.7% and CTKs fell 2.4%.2 IATA reported May-2026 air cargo demand rose 6.0% year-on-year on 1.9% higher capacity, while the Middle East declined 8.9%.3