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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Copa, LATAM Airlines, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion and Ryanair
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – October 20, 2026 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Copa Holdings (CPA - Free Report) , LATAM Airlines Group (LTM - Free Report) , Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion (VLRS - Free Report) and Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:
Airline Stocks Report Robust September 2026 Traffic Numbers: An Analysis
The ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East has resulted in a sharp jump in oil prices. This upward movement in oil prices is naturally hurting airlines' bottom lines because fuel expenses are a key input cost. With most U.S. carriers having abandoned fuel hedging strategies, such oil supply disruption has left them fully exposed to price spikes.
High labor costs continue to bother the bottom-line growth of airlines. With U.S. airlines grappling with labor shortages, the bargaining power of various labor groups has naturally increased. As a result, we have seen pay-hike deals being inked in the space.
Despite headwinds like high inflation and elevated fuel and labor costs, the industry has been benefiting from buoyant air travel demand, both on the domestic and international fronts. Upbeat passenger volumes have always been acting as a tailwind. Higher bookings contribute to the airlines' top-line performance. Stocks in the Zacks Transportation - Airline industry has shown resilience, particularly among companies focusing on growth strategies and operational efficiency.
Given this backdrop, let's take a look at the September 2026 traffic reports issued by Copa Holdings, LATAM Airlines Group, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, also known as Volaris and Ryanair Holdings.
September 2026 Traffic Reports: CPA, LTM, VLRS, RYAAY
Copa Holdings
Copa Holdings reported robust traffic numbers for September 2026 on the back of upbeat air travel demand. Driven by high passenger volumes, revenue passenger miles (RPM: a measure of air traffic) improved on a year-over-year basis in September.
To match the demand swell, CPA is increasing its capacity. In September, available seat miles (a measure of capacity) increased 15.7% year over year. RPM also improved 17.1% year over year. Since traffic growth outpaced capacity expansion, the load factor (the percentage of seats filled by passengers) rose to 87.9% from 86.9% in September 2025.
LATAM Airlines
LATAM Airlines reported a 7.7% year-over-year increase in consolidated capacity, measured in available seat-kilometers (ASK) for September 2026. This uptick was driven by an 11.1% increase in domestic operations by affiliates in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, a 7.8% surge in international operations and a 5.8% increase in domestic capacity offered by LATAM Airlines Brazil.
LTM's consolidated traffic, measured in revenue passenger-kilometers (RPK), grew 6.2% year over year, owing to growth across all segments. Although traffic has improved year over year, but it has failed to outpace capacity expansion. As a result, the consolidated load factorfell 1.2 percentage points year over year to 83.1%.
In September 2026, LATAM Airlines transported 7.57 million passengers, a surge of 3.7% year over year. So far this year, LATAM Airlines has transported 67.51 million passengers across its network, reflecting an increase of 4.7% year over year.
Volaris
Mexican carrier, Volaris, reported a year-over-year increase in RPMs, a measure of air traffic, for September. VLRS reported a 1.9% year-over-year increase in consolidated capacity (measured in available seat miles).Consolidated traffic, measured in revenue passenger-miles (RPM), grew 3.1% year over year. Since traffic growth has outpaced capacity expansion, the load factor rose 1 percentage point year over year to 84.4%.
On the domestic front, RPMs decreased 3.8% and ASMs (Available Seat Miles) fell 3.2% from the September2025 levels. The domestic load factor in Septemberwas 88.2%, a decline of 0.6 percentage points from the year-ago levels.
Internationally, RPM increased 14.2% year over year, while ASM rose 8.8% year over year. Since traffic growth outpaced capacity expansion, the international load factor increased 3.8 percentage points on a year-over-year basis to 79.8%.
During September 2026, VLRS transported 2.47 million passengers, representing a 4.2% year-over-year increase.
Ryanair Holdings
European carrier, Ryanair, reported solid traffic numbers for September 2026, driven by upbeat air-travel demand. The number of passengers transported on Ryanair flights was 20.4 million in September 2026, reflecting a 4% year-over-year increase. The September load factor of 94% remained flat on a year-over-year basis, reflecting consistent passenger demand for the airline's services.
RYAAY operated more than 111,700 flights in September 2026. However, the airline canceled more than 1,000 flights due to another UK air traffic control (ATC) system collapse, Belgian ATC strikes and Mt. Etna eruptions.
Although September 2026 traffic numbers reflect year over year growth, but it could not surpass its prior months figures. Ryanair's encouraging monthly traffic numbers reflected steady growth from the beginning of the year till August 2026.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Copa, LATAM Airlines, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion and Ryanair
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – October 20, 2026 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Copa Holdings (CPA - Free Report) , LATAM Airlines Group (LTM - Free Report) , Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion (VLRS - Free Report) and Ryanair Holdings (RYAAY - Free Report) .
Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:
Airline Stocks Report Robust September 2026 Traffic Numbers: An Analysis
The ongoing uncertainty in the Middle East has resulted in a sharp jump in oil prices. This upward movement in oil prices is naturally hurting airlines' bottom lines because fuel expenses are a key input cost. With most U.S. carriers having abandoned fuel hedging strategies, such oil supply disruption has left them fully exposed to price spikes.
High labor costs continue to bother the bottom-line growth of airlines. With U.S. airlines grappling with labor shortages, the bargaining power of various labor groups has naturally increased. As a result, we have seen pay-hike deals being inked in the space.
Despite headwinds like high inflation and elevated fuel and labor costs, the industry has been benefiting from buoyant air travel demand, both on the domestic and international fronts. Upbeat passenger volumes have always been acting as a tailwind. Higher bookings contribute to the airlines' top-line performance. Stocks in the Zacks Transportation - Airline industry has shown resilience, particularly among companies focusing on growth strategies and operational efficiency.
Given this backdrop, let's take a look at the September 2026 traffic reports issued by Copa Holdings, LATAM Airlines Group, Controladora Vuela Compania de Aviacion, also known as Volaris and Ryanair Holdings.
September 2026 Traffic Reports: CPA, LTM, VLRS, RYAAY
Copa Holdings
Copa Holdings reported robust traffic numbers for September 2026 on the back of upbeat air travel demand. Driven by high passenger volumes, revenue passenger miles (RPM: a measure of air traffic) improved on a year-over-year basis in September.
To match the demand swell, CPA is increasing its capacity. In September, available seat miles (a measure of capacity) increased 15.7% year over year. RPM also improved 17.1% year over year. Since traffic growth outpaced capacity expansion, the load factor (the percentage of seats filled by passengers) rose to 87.9% from 86.9% in September 2025.
LATAM Airlines
LATAM Airlines reported a 7.7% year-over-year increase in consolidated capacity, measured in available seat-kilometers (ASK) for September 2026. This uptick was driven by an 11.1% increase in domestic operations by affiliates in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, a 7.8% surge in international operations and a 5.8% increase in domestic capacity offered by LATAM Airlines Brazil.
LTM's consolidated traffic, measured in revenue passenger-kilometers (RPK), grew 6.2% year over year, owing to growth across all segments. Although traffic has improved year over year, but it has failed to outpace capacity expansion. As a result, the consolidated load factorfell 1.2 percentage points year over year to 83.1%.
In September 2026, LATAM Airlines transported 7.57 million passengers, a surge of 3.7% year over year. So far this year, LATAM Airlines has transported 67.51 million passengers across its network, reflecting an increase of 4.7% year over year.
Volaris
Mexican carrier, Volaris, reported a year-over-year increase in RPMs, a measure of air traffic, for September. VLRS reported a 1.9% year-over-year increase in consolidated capacity (measured in available seat miles).Consolidated traffic, measured in revenue passenger-miles (RPM), grew 3.1% year over year. Since traffic growth has outpaced capacity expansion, the load factor rose 1 percentage point year over year to 84.4%.
On the domestic front, RPMs decreased 3.8% and ASMs (Available Seat Miles) fell 3.2% from the September2025 levels. The domestic load factor in Septemberwas 88.2%, a decline of 0.6 percentage points from the year-ago levels.
Internationally, RPM increased 14.2% year over year, while ASM rose 8.8% year over year. Since traffic growth outpaced capacity expansion, the international load factor increased 3.8 percentage points on a year-over-year basis to 79.8%.
During September 2026, VLRS transported 2.47 million passengers, representing a 4.2% year-over-year increase.
Ryanair Holdings
European carrier, Ryanair, reported solid traffic numbers for September 2026, driven by upbeat air-travel demand. The number of passengers transported on Ryanair flights was 20.4 million in September 2026, reflecting a 4% year-over-year increase. The September load factor of 94% remained flat on a year-over-year basis, reflecting consistent passenger demand for the airline's services.
RYAAY operated more than 111,700 flights in September 2026. However, the airline canceled more than 1,000 flights due to another UK air traffic control (ATC) system collapse, Belgian ATC strikes and Mt. Etna eruptions.
Although September 2026 traffic numbers reflect year over year growth, but it could not surpass its prior months figures. Ryanair's encouraging monthly traffic numbers reflected steady growth from the beginning of the year till August 2026.
Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.
Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.