The overall load factor for September reached 83.6%, reflecting a notable improvement of 1.0 percentage point compared to the same month last year.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for September 2024 global passenger demand, highlighting several key trends.
The total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), experienced a significant increase of 7.1% compared to September 2023, marking an all-time high for the month. Additionally, total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), saw an upward shift of 5.8% year-on-year. The overall load factor for September reached 83.6%, reflecting a notable improvement of 1.0 percentage point compared to the same month last year.
In terms of international travel, demand rose impressively by 9.2% compared to September 2023, with capacity also increasing by 9.1% year-on-year. The load factor for international flights rose slightly to 83.8%, demonstrating a modest gain of 0.1 percentage points from September 2023.
Looking at domestic travel, demand increased by 3.7% compared to the previous year, while capacity showed a slight rise of 0.7% year-on-year. The domestic load factor was recorded at 83.3%, which represents a significant increase of 2.4 percentage points compared to September 2023.
Every region demonstrated growth in international passenger markets in September 2024 compared to September 2023. The load factor presented a mixed picture as Europe achieved the highest load factors while carriers in Asia and Africa saw improvements, but the Americas and the Middle East experienced declines.
Specifically, Asia-Pacific airlines achieved an impressive year-on-year increase of 18.5% in demand. Additionally, capacity for these airlines increased by 17.7% year-on-year, and the load factor reached 82.6%, reflecting a gain of 0.5 percentage points compared to September 2023.
Notably, European carriers reported a solid year-on-year increase of 7.6% in demand. Furthermore, capacity for these airlines rose by 7.4% year-on-year, while the load factor stood at 85.9%, marking an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous year.
The Middle Eastern carriers recorded a year-on-year demand increase of 4.4%. Their capacity rose by 4.6% year-on-year, yet the load factor fell slightly to 81.4%, showing a decrease of 0.1 percentage points compared to September 2023.
Meanwhile, North American carriers experienced a modest year-on-year demand increase of 0.5%. Capacity climbed by 1.9% year-on-year, but the load factor dipped to 84.4%, reflecting a decline of 1.1 percentage points from September 2023.
Moreover, Latin American airlines saw a notable year-on-year demand increase of 12.4%. Their capacity grew by 13.9% year-on-year, although the load factor decreased to 84.3%, indicating a decline of 1.1 percentage points compared to the same month last year.
Finally, African airlines reported an 11.9% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up by 6.6% year-on-year, and the load factor rose to 76.0%, reflecting a significant increase of 3.6 percentage points compared to September 2023.
Overall, all key domestic markets showed stable growth in demand, and all except Japan achieved all-time highs for September domestic traffic. Notably, this reflects a strong recovery in the domestic aviation sector, highlighting the resilience of travel demand across various regions.
Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, “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. 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,” Walsh added.
