Air passenger demand reaches record levels in September

Research

Kamil Al-Awadi Regional Vice President, Africa and Middle East | International Air Transport Association - IATA

By Sky Industry News

Oct 31, 2024

Total demand for air travel in September 2024, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), increased by 7.1% compared to the same month last year, marking an all-time high for September. Capacity, assessed through available seat kilometers (ASK), grew by 5.8% year-on-year, and the load factor reached 83.6%, a rise of 1.0 percentage point from September 2023.

International travel demand surged by 9.2% compared to the previous year, with capacity growing by 9.1%. The load factor slightly improved to 83.8%, up by 0.1 percentage point.

Domestic travel also saw growth with a demand increase of 3.7% over September last year. Capacity rose marginally by 0.7%, and the load factor was recorded at 83.3%, reflecting a rise of 2.4 percentage points.

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Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, commented on these developments: “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." He noted potential challenges: "We will soon face a capacity crunch in some regions which threatens to curtail these economic and social benefits."

Regional analysis showed that Asia-Pacific airlines experienced an impressive year-on-year demand increase of 18.5%, while European carriers reported a growth of 7.6%. Middle Eastern carriers saw a moderate rise of 4.4% in demand, and North American airlines had a slight increase of 0.5%.

In domestic markets, China reported the most significant growth with a RPK increase of 7.7%. India followed closely with a rise of 6.5%. Other regions like Australia and Brazil also showed positive trends.

IATA statistics cover both international and domestic scheduled air traffic for member and non-member airlines globally.