International air travel to and from the United States declined slightly in May 2026, with overseas visitation dropping 6.5% compared to the same period in 2025, as reported by the National Travel and Tourism Office. Total enplanements for the month totaled 22.7 million, a 1.2% decrease from May 2025. This still represented a 3.3% increase over pre-pandemic levels from May 2019, though the slowdown raises concerns about the industry’s long-term recovery.
Overseas Arrivals Lag Behind Domestic Trends
Non-U.S. citizen air arrivals reached 4.5 million in May, a 4.5% decline from May 2025. This number accounted for 82.4% of the 2019 volume, slightly better than April’s 73.5% but far from full recovery. Overseas visitors excluding Canada and Mexico fell 6.5% year-over-year to 2.8 million. Year-to-date through May, overseas visitation was down 4.8% from 2025, signaling ongoing challenges for the tourism sector.
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U.S. citizen departures to foreign destinations dropped 0.5% compared to May 2025 but remained 22.7% above 2019 levels. This contrast suggests outbound travel by Americans remains steady, while inbound flows face obstacles. The difference between these trends highlights uneven recovery patterns across the industry.
Regional Shifts and Top Routes
Travel between the U.S. and Mexico fell 6.7% to 3 million passengers, while Canada saw a 0.7% decline to 2.5 million. The UK dropped 2.3% to 1.9 million, and Germany fell 7.4% to 966,000. Japan defied the trend with a 2.7% increase to 930,000. Regional data showed Europe rising 0.2% year-over-year to 7.5 million passengers, and South/Central America and the Caribbean gaining 2.2% to 5.4 million.
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Asia recorded 2.8 million passengers, up 3.9% from May 2025 but still 15.9% below 2019 levels. The Middle East experienced a sharp 23.1% drop to 937,000 passengers, though this remained 2.6% above 2019 volumes. These variations highlight the uneven nature of post-pandemic recovery.
Major Airports See Mixed Results
New York’s JFK Airport led U.S. international traffic with 2.9 million passengers, followed by Miami’s MIA with 2.1 million and Los Angeles’ LAX with 2 million. Chicago’s ORD and San Francisco’s SFO each handled 1.4 million passengers. On the international side, London Heathrow (LHR) served 1.7 million U.S. travelers, while Toronto’s YYZ handled 1 million.
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Other top international gateways included Cancun (CUN) with 818,000 passengers, Paris’ CDG with 790,000, and Mexico City’s MEX with 733,000. These figures reflect the continued dominance of major hubs in both U.S. and global markets.
The data reveals a patchwork recovery for international air travel. While total enplanements remain above pre-pandemic levels, overseas visitation continues to trail, and regional trends remain split. The sector’s full rebound appears unlikely to happen uniformly, with some markets showing progress while others struggle to regain lost ground.