The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its 2024 World Air Transport Statistics (WATS), offering fresh insights into global airline performance. The report shows a strong recovery in passenger demand, surging premium-class travel, and Asia-Pacific’s dominance in global route traffic.
Premium Class Travel Grows Faster Than Economy
International premium travel—business and first class—grew by 11.8%, slightly ahead of economy class growth at 11.5%. A total of 116.9 million passengers flew premium internationally in 2024, making up 6% of all international travelers.
Europe led in volume with 39.3 million premium passengers, while the Middle East had the highest share of premium travelers at 14.7%. Asia-Pacific posted the fastest growth in premium travel at 22.8%, although economy class in the region grew even faster, up 28.6% to 500.8 million passengers.
Asia-Pacific Dominates Busiest Routes
The Jeju-Seoul (CJU-GMP) route in South Korea was the busiest in the world with 13.2 million passengers. Nine of the top 10 busiest airport pairs were in Asia-Pacific. Only Jeddah-Riyadh (JED-RUH) in Saudi Arabia broke into the list from outside the region.
Regional leaders include:
- BOG-MDE (Bogota–Medellin): 3.8 million passengers (Latin America)
- JNB-CPT (Johannesburg–Cape Town): 3.3 million (Africa)
- JFK-LAX (New York–Los Angeles): 2.2 million (North America)
- BCN-PMI (Barcelona–Palma de Mallorca): 2 million (Europe)
Boeing, Airbus Lead in Aircraft Use
The Boeing 737 family remained the most used aircraft, flying 10 million times and delivering 2.4 trillion ASKs. The Airbus A320 and A321 followed closely with 7.9 million and 3.4 million flights respectively.
The Airbus A220 posted the highest growth, with flight frequency up 21.7% and ASKs up 20.4%—a sign of rising demand for fuel-efficient narrowbody aircraft.
U.S. and China Remain Top Markets
The United States remains the world’s biggest aviation market with 876 million passengers (+5.2%), followed by China with 741 million (+18.7%).
Other top countries:
- United Kingdom: 261 million (+7.3%)
- Spain: 241 million (+10.7%)
- India: 211 million (+11.1%)
- Japan: 205 million (+18.6%)
Industry Outlook
The 2024 WATS paints a picture of a sector in transition, recovering strongly, shifting toward premium services, and increasingly centered in Asia-Pacific. The data underscores growing momentum in air travel, fueled by post-pandemic demand and evolving passenger preferences.
@2025 The Ameh News: All Rights Reserved
Discover more from Ameh News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
