The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has reported an 8.1% increase in global passenger demand for November 2024 compared to November 2023.
Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), showed an 8.1% increase from November 2023. Available seat kilometres (ASK), the measure of capacity, rose by 5.7% year-on-year.
The load factor, which indicates how efficiently airlines fill seats, reached 83.4%, up by 1.9% from the previous year, marking a record for November.
International travel demand saw a 11.6% rise compared to November 2023, with capacity increasing by 8.6%. The load factor for international flights matched the total demand at 83.4%, up by 2.3%.
This growth was propelled by better performances from carriers in Europe and Asia-Pacific, with the latter leading the charge with a 19.9% surge in demand.
Domestic air travel also experienced growth, with a 3.1% rise in demand and a 1.5% increase in capacity compared to November 2023. The domestic load factor stood at 83.5%, showing a 1.2% increase.
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However, the US domestic market displayed a contrasting trend, with a 2.7% decline in demand, continuing a slowdown that began in June 2024.
IATA director general Willie Walsh said: “Airlines are missing out on opportunities to better serve customers, modernise their products and improve their environmental performance because aircraft are not being delivered on time.
“The 2025 New Year’s resolution for the aerospace manufacturing sector must be finding a fast and durable solution for their supply chain issues.”
Asia-Pacific airlines stood out with a 19.9% year-on-year increase in demand and a 16.2% rise in capacity, resulting in an 84.9% load factor.
European carriers followed with a 9.4% increase in demand, a 7.1% capacity rise, and an 85% load factor. Middle Eastern airlines also reported growth with an 8.7% increase in demand and a load factor of 81%.
North American and Latin American carriers saw demand increases of 3.1% and 11.4% respectively.
Despite a slight decrease in the load factor, Latin American airlines expanded capacity by 11.9%.
African airlines experienced a 12.4% rise in demand with a significant load factor increase to 72.9%.
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