By almost any operational measure, 2024 was an exceptionally strong year for the global aviation industry.
ACI World and ICAO, in their Passenger Traffic Report, Trends, and Outlook, estimated that 2024 will be the first year to achieve full recovery in passenger numbers and surpass the 2019 level. Passenger numbers are expected to total 9.5 billion, exceeding the 2019 figure by 4%.
This is broadly in line with the result for passenger traffic in RPKs, which exceeded the 2019 level by 3.8%, according to IATA.
Global traffic continued to outgrow capacity in ASKs, resulting in a record high annual average load factor of 83.5%.
The air cargo industry also reached new highs, as demand in CTKs increased 11% year-on-year and exceeded the previous record set in 2021.