A key highlight of 2024 was the sharp rise in international premium class travel, with business and first-class segments growing by 11.8% year-on-year.
IATA releases 2024 World Air Transport Statistics
Geneva: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has published the 2024 edition of its World Air Transport Statistics (WATS), offering a comprehensive view of global airline performance.
Compiled with data from over 240 airlines, the annual WATS report highlights key metrics including passenger and cargo demand, capacity, fleet overview, and top-performing airport routes. It also provides insight into the financial state of the sector—covering operating costs, revenues, aircraft utilization, and employment figures.
Premium travel takes off
One standout trend in 2024 was the surge in international premium class travel—business and first class—up 11.8% year-on-year, slightly ahead of economy class growth at 11.5%. Premium travelers totaled 116.9 million, making up 6% of all international passengers.
Asia Pacific led regional premium growth with a 22.8% rise (21 million travelers), though its economy segment expanded faster at 28.6%. Premium travel outpaced economy growth in Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America. Europe remained the largest market for international premium travel (39.3 million), while the Middle East saw the highest premium share at 14.7%.
Busiest airport pairs
Asia Pacific continued its dominance in global air traffic, with Jeju–Seoul (CJU–GMP) emerging as the world’s busiest air route with 13.2 million passengers. The only non-Asia Pacific pair in the global top 10 was Jeddah–Riyadh (JED–RUH).
Other regional leaders included Bogotá–Medellín (BOG–MDE) in Latin America (3.8 million), Cape Town–Johannesburg (JNB–CPT) in Africa (3.3 million), New York JFK–Los Angeles (JFK–LAX) in North America (2.2 million), and Barcelona–Palma de Mallorca (BCN–PMI) in Europe (2 million).
Most-used aircraft
The Boeing 737 series led global operations with 10 million flights and 2.4 trillion Available Seat Kilometers (ASKs). It was followed by the Airbus A320 (7.9 million flights; 1.7 trillion ASKs) and A321 (3.4 million flights; 1.1 trillion ASKs).
Top passenger markets
The United States remained the largest aviation market with 876 million passengers (+5.2%), driven by a strong domestic sector. China followed with 741 million passengers, marking an 18.7% increase from 2023.
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