New data show global passenger demand has risen compared to last year

Data for global passenger demand released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), for August 2024, showed an increase across international and domestic numbers. Measured in Revenue Passenger Kilometres (RPK), total demand was up 8.6% compared to August 2023, with international demand up 10.6% and domestic up 5.6% from last year.

“The market for air travel is hot and airlines are doing a great job at meeting the growing demand for travel. Efficiency gains have driven load factors to record highs while the 6.5% capacity increase demonstrates resilience in the face of persistent supply chain issues and infrastructure deficiencies,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

A regional breakdown of global passenger demands

All regions showed growth for international passenger markets in August 2024 compared to August 2023. Ticket sales in May-July for travel in August-September showed a 6.6% year-on-year increase, which bodes well for further strong growth this year.

Asia-Pacific airlines achieved a 19.9% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 18.8% year-on-year, Asia-Pacific is still growing robustly and is now just 8 percentage points from full recovery to pre-pandemic volumes

European carriers saw a 9.1% year-on-year increase in demand, and capacity increased 8.5% year-on-year, the Europe-Asia route was by far the fastest-growing, but it is still markedly below its 2019 peak

Middle Eastern carriers saw a 4.9% year-on-year increase in demand, capacity increased 5.6% year-on-year

North American carriers saw a 4.3% year-on-year increase in demand, capacity increased 3.8% year-on-year

Latin American airlines saw a 13.6% year-on-year increase in demand, capacity climbed 15.2% year-on-year

African airlines saw a 10.1% year-on-year increase in demand, capacity was up 7.3% year-on-year. 

Check out more statistics here.