Total demand, measured in paid passenger kilometers (RPK), increased by 16.6%; Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), increased by 14.1%; and the load factor was 79.9% (+1.7pt)
International demand increased by 20.8%; capacity increased by 20.9% and load factor remained at 79.7% (+0.0pt)
Domestic demand increased by 10.4%; capacity increased by 4.6% and load factor was 80.2% (+4.2 points)
“2024 is off to a good start despite economic and geopolitical uncertainties. As governments look to build prosperity in their economies in the busiest election year in history, it is critical that they view aviation as a catalyst for growth. Rising taxes and burdensome regulations are a counterweight to prosperity. We will pursue government policies that help aviation reduce costs, improve efficiency and move towards net zero CO2 emissions by 2050,” said Willie Walsh, IATA Director General.
International passenger markets
Asia-Pacific airlines saw a 45.4% increase in January 2024 traffic compared to January 2023, continuing the region's rapid recovery following the lifting of pandemic restrictions. Capacity increased by 48.1% and load factor fell 1.5 percentage points to 82.6%. The exceptionally strong growth rate can largely be attributed to China, which was in the early stages of lifting COVID-19 travel restrictions in January 2023. The recovery on major international routes to/from Asia -Pacific is still delayed, but routes such as Asia-Middle East have exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
European carriers' traffic in January 2024 increased by 10.8% compared to January 2023. Capacity increased by 10.7% and load factor increased by 0.1 percentage points to 77.3%. Routes between Europe and North America have recovered particularly strongly from the pandemic and are 6.5% higher than in January 2020.
Middle East airlines recorded a 16.2% increase in January 2024 traffic compared to a year ago. Capacity increased by 15.7% and load factor rose 0.4 percentage points to 79.9%.
North American carriers saw traffic increase by 12.3% in January 2024 compared to the 2023 period. Capacity also increased by 13.7% and load factor fell 1.0 percentage point to 79.4 %.
Latin American airline traffic increased by 17.9% compared to the same month in 2023. January capacity increased by 13.2%, raising the load factor 3.4 percentage points to 86%, the highest among regions.
African airlines saw traffic increase by 18.5% in January 2024 compared to a year ago. January capacity increased 19.2%, causing load factor to decline 0.4 percentage points to 73.3%, the lowest among the regions.
National passenger markets
Domestic demand growth continues to be led by China, which saw strong Lunar New Year travel demand. This likely boosted traffic in February as well. Chinese carriers have responded by increasing capacity, particularly by deploying wide-body aircraft.
Source: IATA.