The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported a notable 8.1 per cent increase in global passenger demand for November 2024, as compared to the previous year. This growth is evident in both international and domestic travel, with international demand rising by 11.6 per cent and domestic demand growing by 3.1 per cent.
Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), increased by 5.7 per cent, while the overall load factor rose to 83.4 per cent, an all-time high for November.
Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, highlighted that while passenger demand continues to climb, the aviation sector faces ongoing challenges with the aircraft supply chain. “Capacity growth is lagging demand by 2.4 percentage points, and load factors are at record levels. Airlines are missing opportunities to improve service, modernise their products, and enhance environmental performance due to delayed aircraft deliveries,” he said.
Regionally, the Asia-Pacific market led the way with a 19.9 per cent increase in demand, while Europe saw a 9.4 per cent rise. Latin America and Africa also posted impressive gains, with demand rising by 11.4 per cent and 12.4 per cent, respectively. In contrast, the US domestic market saw a slight contraction of 2.7 per cent year-on-year, continuing a trend of decelerating growth observed since mid-2024.
Despite these challenges, November marked another month of solid growth in air travel, underscoring the industry’s resilience and the growing demand for international connectivity. With global passenger numbers climbing, IATA calls for quicker solutions to the supply chain disruptions hampering further growth.
