The International Air Transport Association (IATA) says USD 1.2 billion in airline revenues remain blocked from repatriation worldwide as of October 2025, with 93 percent trapped in Africa and the Middle East. This marks only a modest USD 100 million improvement since April and continues to impose severe financial pressure on airlines operating in affected countries.
IATA urged governments to remove all restrictions on currency repatriation and honour bilateral air service agreements that guarantee airlines access to revenues from ticket sales, cargo operations, and related activities. The association cited delays in repatriation approvals, burdensome documentation, foreign exchange shortages, and central bank restrictions as the key obstacles undermining airline operations.
Director-General Willie Walsh stressed that airlines depend on reliable access to U.S. dollar revenues to sustain operations, manage dollar-denominated costs, and maintain global air connectivity. He added that freeing trapped funds is both an economic imperative and a legal obligation, noting that prioritising forex allocation for airlines, even during scarcity, supports broader national economic growth.
IATA identified ten countries responsible for USD 1.08 billion, about 89 percent, of the trapped funds. Algeria now tops the list, holding USD 307 million following new approval requirements imposed by its Ministry of Trade. The XAF Zone countries retain USD 179 million despite slight improvement, while Lebanon holds USD 138 million, Mozambique USD 91 million, Angola USD 81 million, Eritrea USD 78 million, Zimbabwe USD 67 million, Ethiopia USD 54 million, Pakistan USD 54 million, and Bangladesh USD 32 million.
Walsh cited political and economic instability, forex scarcity, and inconsistent or onerous repatriation procedures as the core drivers of the crisis across the AME region, which accounts for USD 1.12 billion of the total trapped funds spread across 26 countries. He announced that IATA has launched a public website offering quarterly blocked-funds updates, background information, and policy developments to improve transparency.
Separately, IATA disclosed that air passengers worldwide paid USD 60.4 billion in ticket taxes and government-imposed charges in 2024, sums collected by airlines and transferred directly to governments.
