Global air travel sets new record with soaring September demand

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"The year’s peak travel season ended with demand at an all-time high. This is good news not just for passengers but also for the global economy. Every flight creates more jobs and trade. But the air travel success story is bringing challenges.

"We will soon face a capacity crunch in some regions which threatens to curtail these economic and social benefits.

"Governments will face a choice: lose out to more dynamic nations who value global connectivity, or forge a consensus for sustainable growth. Airlines are making significant investments to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

"That needs to be accompanied by an equally active political vision, backed up by actions, to ensure we have efficient and sufficient airport and air traffic management capacity to meet the needs of citizens and businesses to travel," says Willie Walsh, Iata’s director general.

Air passenger market in detail

Regional breakdown: International markets

All regions showed growth for international passenger markets in September 2024 compared to September 2023.

The load factor was a mixed bag: Europe had the highest load factors, and Asia and African carriers also improved, but the Americas and the Middle East suffered falls.

African airlines saw an 11.9% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 6.6% year-on-year. The load factor rose to 76.0% (+3.6ppt compared to September 2023).

Asia-Pacific airlines achieved an 18.5% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 17.7% year-on-year and the load factor was 82.6% (+0.5ppt compared to September 2023).

European carriers saw a 7.6% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 7.4% year-on-year, and the load factor was 85.9% (+0.2ppt compared to September 2023).

Middle Eastern carriers saw a 4.4% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 4.6% year-on-year and the load factor was 81.4% (-0.1ppt compared to September 2023).

North American carriers saw a 0.5% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 1.9% year-on-year, and the load factor was 84.4% (-1.1 ppt compared to September 2023).

Latin American airlines saw a 12.4% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity climbed 13.9% year-on-year. The load factor was 84.3% (-1.1ppt compared to September 2023).

Domestic markets

All key markets showed stable growth in domestic demand and all except Japan saw all-time highs for September domestic traffic.

Note: the six domestic passenger markets for which broken-down data are available account for approximately 31.4% of global total RPKs and 78.8% of total domestic RPKs

Note: the six domestic passenger markets for which broken-down data are available account for approximately 31.4% of global total RPKs and 78.8% of total domestic RPKs