Global Air Travel Soars in 2024 as U.S., China, and U.K. Lead Passenger Traffic Surge, Says IATA Report
Aviation is back in full flight, as the United States, China, and the United Kingdom emerged as the top three nations with the highest passenger traffic in 2024, according to the newly released World Air Transport Statistics by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
Together, the three countries accounted for a staggering 1.88 billion passengers over the year, underscoring the robust rebound in both domestic and international air travel post-pandemic.
The United States maintained its lead with 876 million passengers, thanks largely to its vast domestic air travel market. China followed closely with 741 million, marking a significant 18.7% year-on-year increase. The United Kingdom came in third with 261 million travellers, reflecting a 7.3% growth over 2023.
The IATA report, based on data from over 240 airlines, provides a comprehensive overview of the global aviation landscape — from passenger and cargo traffic to aircraft utilization and route data.
Among aircraft types, the Boeing 737 series remained the most widely used globally, operating 10 million flights and covering 2.4 trillion available seat kilometres (ASK).
The Airbus A320 followed with 7.9 million flights, while the Airbus A321 recorded 3.4 million.
Significantly, premium-class travel outpaced economy-class growth on a global scale. International business and first-class passengers rose by 11.8%, slightly ahead of economy class, which grew 11.5%. In total, 116.9 million passengers travelled in premium cabins in 2024, making up 6% of all international travellers.
Regionally, Asia Pacific posted the fastest growth in passenger traffic with a 22.8% increase, driven by a 28.6% spike in economy travellers and a 21 million uptick in premium-class passengers. In contrast, Europe remained the largest premium travel market, with 39.3 million premium passengers, while the Middle East recorded the highest share of premium travellers at 14.7% of total regional traffic.
The report also tracked the world’s busiest air routes. South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor retained its crown with 13.2 million passengers, while Asia Pacific dominated the list of top airport pairs. The sole non-Asian route in the global top 10 was Jeddah–Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
On the continent level, Africa’s most active route was Cape Town–Johannesburg (3.3 million passengers). Other top intra-regional routes included Bogota–Medellin in Latin America (3.8 million), JFK–LAX in North America (2.2 million), and Barcelona–Palma de Mallorca in Europe (2 million).
Beyond traffic figures, IATA’s report analyzed airline operational health, covering revenues, costs, aircraft fleets, employee numbers, and aircraft utilization rates — offering crucial insight into post-pandemic recovery trends and the reshaping of global air travel demand.
As global air mobility continues to rebound, IATA’s 2024 report positions the U.S., China, and the U.K. at the helm of aviation’s next growth chapter.
