The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has reported strong global passenger demand at airports for September 2024, marking a record high for the month.
IATA figures reveal a 7.1% increase in revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) compared to September 2023. Meanwhile, total capacity, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), rose by 5.8% year-on-year.
Within these figures, international passenger demand grew by 9.2%, with capacity up 9.1%. Domestic demand increased by 3.7%, while capacity grew 0.7%.
Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General said: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.
Specific figures showing the September 2024 passenger demand by region include:
- Africa: Demand rose by 12.2%, capacity by 6.9%
- Asia Pacific: Demand increased by 12.4%, capacity by 8.0%
- Europe: Demand grew by 6.7%, capacity by 6.4%
- Latin America: Demand rose by 7.2%, capacity by 7.6%
- Middle East: Demand increased by 4.7%, capacity by 4.6%
- North America: Demand saw a modest increase of 1.1%
These trends highlight a sustained recovery in global air travel demand following the COVID-19 pandemic.
