Airlines worldwide incurred $24.5 billion in payment-processing costs in 2025 while handling approximately $1.05 trillion in sales, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The cost rose 10.4% from 2023, outpacing the 7.7% increase in airline sales, and averaged about $5 per passenger—more than IATA’s forecast 2026 net profit of $4.50 per passenger.
Direct payment fees accounted for $20.7 billion, or 84.5% of the total. Airline operating costs linked to payment systems, delayed cash flow, staffing and compliance contributed a further $2.9 billion, while fraud and uncollected sales accounted for $900 million.
Card payments were the most expensive method, with average fees of 2.53%, compared with an estimated 1.97% average across payment methods. The lowest-cost options carried fees of approximately 0.01%.
Sandrine Le Borgne, IATA’s interim director general and chief financial officer, described the faster growth in payment costs as unsustainable given airlines’ low margins. IATA is assessing lower-cost and alternative methods, including IATA Pay and the IATA Financial Gateway, ahead of its World Financial Symposium and World Passenger Symposium in Macao on 28 and 29 October.