US, June 30 -- Global air passenger demand declined in May for the second consecutive month as the conflict in the Middle East continued to disrupt airline operations, although the pace of deterioration eased and most regions outside the conflict zone remained resilient, according to new data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Total passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), fell 2.2% from a year earlier in May, while airline capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), declined 2.3%. Despite the lower traffic, airlines maintained a record-high May load factor of 83.5%, up 0.1 percentage points from a year ago, suggesting carriers continued to manage capacity tightly amid operational...