SINGAPORE, 3 February 2025: Total full-year passenger traffic in 2024 (measured in revenue passenger kilometres or RPKs) rose 10.4% compared to 2023, IATA reports in its latest data for the full-year 2024 and December.
IATA said RPKs during 2024 improved 3.8% above pre-pandemic (2019) levels. Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), was up 8.7% in 2024. The overall load factor reached 83.5%, a record for full-year traffic.
International full-year traffic in 2024 increased 13.6% compared to 2023, and capacity rose 12.8%. Domestic full-year traffic for 2024 rose 5.7% compared to the prior year, while capacity expanded by 2.5%.
December 2024 performance
December 2024 delivered a strong finish to the year, with overall demand rising 8.6% year-on-year, and capacity grew by 5.6%. International demand rose by 10.6% and domestic demand by 5.5%. The December load factor reached 84%, a record for the month.
“2024 made it 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 available seats were filled—a new record high, partially attributable to the supply chain constraints that limited capacity growth. Aviation growth reverberates across societies and economies through jobs, market development, trade, innovation, exploration, and much more,” said IATA’s Director General Willie Walsh.
“Looking to 2025, there is every indication that travel demand will continue to grow, albeit at a moderated pace of 8.0%, which is more aligned with historical averages. The desire to partake in the freedom that flying makes possible brings some challenges into sharp focus. First, the tragic accident in Washington (last week) reminds us that safety needs our continuous efforts. Our thoughts are with all those affected. We will never cease our work to make aviation even safer.
Second is the airlines’ commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. While airlines invested record amounts in Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) purchases in 2024, less than 0.5% of fuel needs were met with SAF. SAF is in short supply, and costs must be reduced. Governments could fortify their national energy security and unblock this problem by prioritising renewable fuel production from which SAF is derived. In addition to securing energy supplies and increasing the SAF supply, diverting a fraction of the subsidies given for fossil fuel extraction to support renewable energy capacity would also boost prosperity through economic expansion and job creation,” said Walsh.
International Passenger Markets
In 2024, full-year international traffic surpassed the previous high of 0.5% in 2019, with growth in all regions. Capacity was 0.9% lower than in 2019. The load factor improved by 0.5 percentage points, finishing at 83.2%, a record high.
In December, international demand grew by 10.6%, capacity increased by 7.7%, and the load factor improved by 2.2 percentage points to 83.9% (compared to December 2023).
Asia-Pacific airlines posted a 26.0% rise in full-year international traffic in 2024 compared to 2023, maintaining the strongest year-over-year rate among the regions. Capacity rose 24.7%, and the load factor climbed by 0.8 percentage points to 83.8%. Despite this strong growth, opportunities for further growth remain high, as international RPKs remain 8.7% below 2019 levels. In December 2024, traffic rose 17.1% compared to December 2023.
European carriers’ full-year traffic climbed 9.7% versus 2023. Capacity increased 9.2%, and load factor rose 0.4 percentage points to 84.1%. Demand climbed 8.6% for December compared to the same month in 2023.
Middle Eastern airlines saw a 9.4% traffic rise in 2024 compared to 2023. Capacity increased by 8.4%, and load factor climbed from 0.7 percentage points to 80.8%. December demand climbed 7.7% compared to the same month in 2023.
North American carriers reported a 6.8% annual traffic rise in 2024 compared to 2023. Capacity increased 7.4%, and load factor fell -0.5 percentage points to 84.2%. December 2024, traffic rose 5.1% compared to the year-ago period.
Latin American airlines posted a 14.4% traffic rise in 2024 over 2023. Annual capacity climbed 14.3%, and load factor increased 0.1 percentage points to 84.8%, the region’s highest. December demand climbed 11.3% compared to December 2023.
African airlines’ annual traffic rose 13.2% in 2024 compared to the previous year. Full-year 2024 capacity was up 9.5%, and load factor climbed 2.5 percentage points to 74.5%, the lowest among regions but a record high for Africa. In December 2024, traffic for African airlines rose 12.4% over December 2023.
