Data released last week by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) shows an 11.8 percent increase in the number of business class and premium passengers in global air travel.
The latest edition of the World Air Transport Statistics (WATS), based on data from more than 240 international airlines, reports that economy class passengers grew by 11.5 percent. Business and premium class travelers totaled about 116m—around six percent of all international passengers.
The report also provides insights into operating costs and revenues, aircraft utilization, airline employment figures, and the overall financial health of the industry. According to IATA, total international passenger numbers reached about 2bn.
The Asia-Pacific region led the growth in international travel, with total passenger numbers up 28.3 percent. Business class passengers in the region increased by 22.8 percent, while economy class grew by 28.6 percent. In contrast, North America recorded the lowest international passenger growth rate—5.9 percent overall, with 9.4 percent growth in business class and 5.6 percent in economy.
In 2024, the world’s busiest air route was Jeju–Seoul in the Asia-Pacific region, with 13.2m passengers. The region dominated the list of the world’s 10 busiest routes, which also included Sapporo–Tokyo Haneda with 9.2m passengers, Fukuoka–Tokyo Haneda with 9m, and Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City with 8m. Other high-traffic routes were Melbourne Tullamarine–Sydney (7.2m), Jeddah–Riyadh (6.3m), Mumbai–Delhi (5.9m), Tokyo Haneda–Okinawa (5.6m), Shanghai Hongqiao–Shenzhen (5.3m), and Beijing Capital–Shanghai Hongqiao (5.3m).
Bogotá–Medellín was the busiest route in Latin America with 3.8m passengers, while Cape Town–Johannesburg topped Africa with 3.3m. In North America, New York JFK–Los Angeles was the busiest route with 2.2m passengers, and within Europe, Barcelona–Palma de Mallorca led with 2m.
Boeing and Airbus narrowbody aircraft were the most widely used in 2024. The Boeing 737 (all variants) operated 10m flights with 2.4trn available seat kilometers (ASKs). It was followed by the Airbus A320 with 7.9m flights and 1.7trn ASKs, and the Airbus A321 with 3.4m flights and 1.1trn ASKs.
The United States remained the world’s largest aviation market in 2024, with 876m passengers. Domestic flights grew by 5.2 percent compared to the previous year. China ranked second with 741m passengers, an 18.7 percent increase from 2023.
