The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has reported a record high increase in global air passenger demand for the year 2024, with figures exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
The total traffic, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs), increased by 10.4% compared to 2023, and a 3.8% rise above the figures recorded in 2019.
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Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), increased by 8.7%, while the overall load factor also reached a new high of 83.5%.
International traffic saw a 13.6% rise over the previous year, with capacity expanding by 12.8%. Domestic traffic increased by 5.7% compared to 2023 with capacity rising by 2.5%.
In 2024, international traffic surpassed the 2019 peak by 0.5%, with all regions experiencing growth, although capacity remained 0.9% lower than 2019 levels.
Asia-Pacific airlines led the growth with a 26% increase in international traffic, despite international RPKs remaining 8.7% below 2019 levels.
European carriers saw a 9.7% rise in traffic, while Middle Eastern airlines experienced a 9.4% increase. North American carriers reported a 6.8% rise in traffic, though their load factor slightly decreased.
IATA director general Willie Walsh said: “2024 made it absolutely clear that people want to travel. With 10.4% demand growth, travel reached record numbers domestically and internationally.
“Airlines met that strong demand with record efficiency. On average, 83.5% of all seats on offer were filled—a new record high, partially attributable to the supply chain constraints that limited capacity growth.”
Latin American airlines demonstrated a 14.4% rise in traffic, achieving the highest load factor among the regions at 84.8%. African airlines also saw an increase in traffic by 13.2%, with a load factor of 74.5%, a record high for the region.
In the domestic market, China led the pack with a 12.3% increase in domestic RPK over 2023.
Japan and other major domestic markets also showed stable growth. India, despite a slight decrease in load factor, maintained the highest load factor among all domestic markets at 86.4%.
This week, IATA reported an 11.3% rise in global air cargo demand for 2024, surpassing the peak volumes of 2021.
