Dear Colleagues,
Last week, more than 300 leaders from airlines, airports, government, regulators and industry partners gathered in Ottawa for IATA’s Aviation Day Canada, co-hosted with the National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC). Discussions focused on the policies and investments needed to keep Canada’s aviation sector affordable, efficient, sustainable and globally competitive, while reinforcing aviation’s vital role in supporting trade, tourism and connectivity across the country. A key topic was the future of Canada’s airport model, with Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon reaffirming the government’s commitment to engage closely with industry as it explores long-term concession opportunities for the country’s four largest airports. IATA emphasized the importance of ensuring that any future model is built on global best practices and promotes transparency, accountability, regional connectivity, affordability, modern infrastructure, and an improved passenger experience. Please find more details on IATA’s engagement with the Canadian government below.
The event also covered aviation supply chain challenges, accessibility, passenger rights, and regulatory developments, drawing strong engagement from government and industry leaders. You can access the presentations, materials, and photos from Aviation Day Canada on the regional website.
Looking ahead, IATA will host a dedicated Cargo Day for Colombia in Bogotá on 11 November and an Aviation Day for Honduras in San Pedro Sula on 8 December.
Shifting to IATA’s latest economic analysis, global air passenger demand declined 0.8% year-on-year in August 2026, reflecting continued weakness in the Middle East. Excluding the region, however, demand grew 0.6%, while industry capacity increased 0.3% and the global load factor remained strong at 85.1%. North American carriers saw a decrease in demand of 1.7% while capacity decreased 1.1% year-on-year, and the load factor was 86.8%. Latin American airlines achieved a 6.7% increase in demand and capacity climbed 6.4% year-on-year with a load factor of 84.8%.
Global air cargo demand remained resilient, increasing 4.4% year-on-year in August 2026 (5.3% for international operations), while capacity declined 0.1%, supporting higher load factors despite continued fuel cost pressures. North American carriers led all regions with a 6.6% increase in cargo demand, even as capacity fell 2.5%. Latin American and Caribbean airlines also delivered a strong performance, posting 5.1% demand growth supported by a 3.3% increase in capacity. The results underscore the strength of cargo markets heading into the year-end peak season, supported by expanding global trade and manufacturing activity.
As always, please find the latest IATA activities and developments across the Americas below. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.
Peter Cerdá
IATA’s Regional Vice President, The Americas
Americas Focus: Archive
2026: 01-2026 (pdf) 02-2026 (pdf) 03-2026 (pdf) 04-2026 (pdf) 05-2026 (pdf) 06-2026 (pdf) 07-2026 (pdf) 08-2026 (pdf)
2025: 01-2025 (pdf) 02-2025 (pdf) 03-2025 (pdf) 04-2025 (pdf) 05-2025 (pdf) 06-2025 (pdf) 07-2025 (pdf) 07-2025 Spanish (pdf) 08-2025 (pdf) 08-2025 Spanish (pdf) 09-2025 (pdf) 09-2025 Spanish (pdf) 10-2025 (pdf) 10-2025 Spanish (pdf) 11-2025 (pdf) 11-2025 spanish (pdf)
2024: 01-2024 (pdf) 02-2024 (pdf) 03-2024 (pdf) 04-2024 (pdf) 05-2024 (pdf) 06-2024 (pdf) 07-2024 (pdf) 08-2024 (pdf) 09-2024 (pdf)
2023: 01-2023 (pdf) 02-2023 (pdf) 03-2023 (pdf) 04-2023 (pdf) 05-2023 (pdf) 06-2023 (pdf) 07-2023 (pdf) 08-2023 (pdf)
2022: 01-2022 (pdf) 02-2022 (pdf) 03-22 (pdf) 04-22 (pdf) 05-22 (pdf) 06-22 (pdf)
2021: 01-2021 (pdf) 02-2021 (pdf) 03-2021 (pdf) 04-2021 (pdf) 05-2021 (pdf) 06-2021 (pdf) 07-2021 (pdf)
2020: 01-2020 (pdf) 02-2020 (pdf) 03-2020 (pdf)
2019: Jan 2019 (pdf) Feb 2019 (pdf) May 2019 (pdf) #04 Version (pdf) #05 Version (pdf) #06 Version (pdf)
2018: Jan 2018 (pdf) Feb 2018 (pdf) Mar 2018 (pdf) Apr 2018 (pdf) May 2018 (pdf) Jun 2018 (pdf)
Jul 2018 (pdf) Aug-Sep 2018 (pdf) Oct-Nov 2018 (pdf) Summary 2018 (pdf)
2017: Q4 2017 (pdf) Q3 2017 (pdf) Q2 2017 (pdf) Q1 2017 (pdf)