by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 9:20 AM ET, Fri January 10, 2025
Global air travel demand in November 2024 was 8.1 percent higher than it was the year before, according to new data released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The demand is measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK).
Total capacity and load factors were also up, with an 83.4 percent load factor, a nearly 2 percent increase from the year before, which is a record high for any November.
International demand saw a great 11.6 percent increase, with Europe and Asia-Pacific driving the growth. The Asia-Pacific region saw the greatest year-over-year increase in demand, at just under 20 percent.
Meanwhile, domestic travel demand also rose, though much lower, at 3.1 percent. While domestic RPK increased globally, the U.S. was the only region that saw a 2.7 percent drop in domestic travel, which IATA attributes to lower low-cost carrier activity.
Whatever the reason, we expect December's domestic air travel demand in the U.S. to increase, since the TSA reported its record-breaking busiest screening day on December 1, 2024, when the administration screened 3.087 travelers following the Thanksgiving holiday.
“November was another month of strong growth in the demand for air travel with an overall expansion of 8.1 percent,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General. “The month was also another reminder of the supply chain issues that are preventing airlines from getting the aircraft they need to meet growing demand.”
“Capacity growth is lagging demand by 2.4 ppts and load factors are at record levels,” Walsh continued. “Airlines are missing out on opportunities to better serve customers, modernize their products and improve their environmental performance because aircraft are not being delivered on time. The 2025 New Year’s resolution for the aerospace manufacturing sector must be finding a fast and durable solution for their supply chain issues.”
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