The demand for air travel grew last year with airlines across all regions over performing their pre-pandemic levels, data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) shows.
- •Africa ranked second after Asia Pacific in terms of growth in the number of kilometres travelled by paying customers while North American airlines tailed the regions, rising 4.6% from a higher base.
- •In total, kilometres travelled by paying passengers grew grew 10.4% year-on-year (YoY) in 2024, surpassing the 2019 threshold by 3.8%.
- •The recovery, which is expected to continue in 2025, has also seen a surge in air crashes last seen during the pre-pandemic era.
“2024 made it absolutely clear that people want to travel. With 10.4% demand growth, travel reached record numbers domestically and internationally. Airlines met that strong demand with record efficiency. On average, 83.5% of all seats on offer were filled,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
“Looking to 2025, there is every indication that demand for travel will continue to grow, albeit at a moderated pace of 8.0% that is more aligned with historical averages,” he added.
Even as the industry celebrates the growth, safety still remains a concern. 318 people died on commercial flights in 2024, more than twice as many as the 120 who died in 2023, according to data from Forbes and the Aviation Safety Network. Two accidents in the last week of 2024, in Korea and Kazakhstan, made it the deadliest year for commercial aviation since 2018. That year, 557 people died, including 189 in the first Boeing 737 MAX disaster, the crash of a Lion Air aircraft in Indonesia.
In January, only one person survived a plane crash in South Sudan which killed 20 oil workers who were on board. The most recent incident involved an American Airlines passenger plane which collided with a US Army helicopter near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport last month.
IATA is also tracking the industry’s commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Despite massive investments in purchases of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in 2024, less than 0.5% of fuel needs were met with SAF largely due to costs and supply issues.
