Passenger demand reaches all-time high in September
November 2, 2024
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has reported a record-breaking rise in global passenger demand for September 2024 as post-pandemic recovery continues.
Global passenger demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK), increased by 7.1% compared to September 2023, setting an all-time high for the month of September.
Total capacity, measured by available seat kilometres (ASK), rose by 5.8% year-on-year, and the average load factor—a key measure of how full flights were—reached 83.6%, up by 1 percentage point from the previous year.
International travel saw the strongest growth, with demand rising by 9.2% compared to last September. Capacity for international flights was up by 9.1%, while the load factor ticked up slightly to 83.8%. Meanwhile, domestic travel demand also rose, though at a more modest rate of 3.7% year-on-year. Domestic capacity increased by 0.7%, with load factors climbing 2.4 percentage points to reach 83.3%.
“The year’s peak travel season ended with demand at an all-time high,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s director general.
“This is good news not just for passengers but also for the global economy. Every flight creates more jobs and trade. But the air travel success story is bringing challenges.
“We will soon face a capacity crunch in some regions which threatens to curtail these economic and social benefits. Government’s will face a choice: lose out to more dynamic nations who value global connectivity, or forge a consensus for sustainable growth. Airlines are making significant investments to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.
“That needs to be accompanied by an equally active political vision, backed-up by actions, to ensure we have efficient and sufficient airport and air traffic management capacity to meet the needs of citizens and businesses to travel.”
