US-international air passenger traffic up six percent

WASHINGTON, DC – International air traffic to/from the US totaled 67.7 million passengers through April 2016, a six percent increase over the April 2015 year-to-date period.

WASHINGTON, DC – International air traffic to/from the US totaled 67.7 million passengers through April 2016, a six percent increase over the April 2015 year-to-date period.

US citizen travel (30.7 million) was up 10 percent, edging up to 45 percent of all air traffic. Non-US citizen air travelers (37.0 million) increased by three percent with resulting market share at 55 percent.


US airlines carried 33.8 million passengers, up three percent, and their share slipped to 50 percent. Foreign flags carried 33.8 million passengers, up nine percent from same period 2015.

International Passengers (mlns) % Chg y-o-y Market Share % Pt. chg.

U.S. Citizens 30.719 9.9% 45.4% 1.6
Non-U.S. Citizens 36.953 3.0% 54.6% -1.6

U.S. Flag Carriers (3) 33.825 3.4% 50.0% -1.2
Foreign Flag Carriers 33.847 8.8% 50.0% 1.2

The following regions: overseas, Mexico and Canada are โ€˜breakoutsโ€™ of international:

Overseas air traffic accounted for 48.6 million passengers, 72 percent of all international, and grew by seven percent.

U.S. citizen travel (21.8 million) was up eight percent and composed 45 percent of overseas air traffic. Non-U.S. citizen air travelers (26.8 million) increased by six percent, a 55 percent share.

U.S. airlines carried 23.2 million passengers, up three percent, their share dropping to 48 percent. Foreign flags carried 25.4 million passengers, up 11 percent from April 2015YTD.

Overseas Regions Passengers (mlns) % Chg y-o-y Market Share % Pt. chg.

U.S. Citizens 21.812 8.1% 44.9% 0.5
Non-U.S. Citizens 26.758 5.8% 55.1% -0.5

U.S. Flag Carriers (3) 23.191 3.1% 47.7% -1.8
Foreign Flag Carriers 25.378 10.5% 52.3% 1.8

Overseas regions performed as follows:

Overseas Regions Passengers (mlns) % of all International % Change

2016/2015 YTD

Europe 15.960 24% 5.2%
Asia 10.541 16% 8.7%
Caribbean 7.718 11% 4.5%
South America 5.151 8% 6.1%
Central America 4.085 6% 9.3%
Middle East 3.141 5% 13.8%
Oceania 1.578 2% 7.5%
Africa 0.396 1% 5.2%

China to U.S. โ€˜Air Arrivalsโ€™ (2) for April 2016:

Non-U.S. Citizens
(Originating from PRC) U.S. Citizens

(Returning to U.S.) Total Inbound Passengers on Non-stop Flights Load Factor (Estimate)

Passengers 180,150 118,366 298,516 82.9%
% Chg. Apr.16/15 21.8% 32.0% 25.7% (0.9 pts)

Estimated capacity (360,220 seats) on inbound flights from PRC was up 27.0 percent year-over-year. Overall inbound passenger growth was 25.7 percent passenger growth.

Chinese carriers increased average weekly frequencies from 108 to 164, up 52 percent.
U.S. carriers increased average weekly frequencies from 118 to 128, up eight percent.

North American markets accounted for 28 percent of U.S. international air traffic flows.

Mexico air traffic accounted for 9.7 million passengers, 14 percent of all international traffic, and was up 10 percent.

U.S. citizen travel (6.7 million) increased 15 percent and composed 69 percent of all air traffic. Mexicans, and other foreign national air travelers (3.0 million) transiting through Mexico, remained flat, and market share slipped to 31 percent.

U.S. flags carried 7.3 million passengers, up 10 percent from last year, but their share remained the same at 75 percent. Foreign flags carried 2.4 million passengers, up nine percent with share at almost 25 percent.

Mexican Region Passengers (mlns) % Chg y-o-y Market Share % Pt. chg.

U.S. Citizens 6.663 14.5% 68.7% 2.9
Non-U.S. Citizens 3.040 0.4% 31.3% -2.9

U.S. Flag Carriers (3) 7.318 9.9% 75.4% 0.2
Foreign Flag Carriers 2.386 8.7% 24.6% -0.2

Canadian air traffic accounted for 9.4 million passengers, 14 percent of all international traffic, and declined by one percent.

U.S. citizen travel (2.2 million) increased 15 percent and composed 24 percent of air traffic. Canadian, and other foreign national citizen air travelers transiting through Canada (7.2 million), decreased by six percent. Market share shifted down almost four percentage points.

U.S. flags carried 3.3 million passengers, down seven percent from last year, and their share dropped to 35 percent. Foreign flags carried 6.1 million passengers, up two percent.

Canadian Region Passengers (mlns) % Chg y-o-y Market Share % Pt. chg.

U.S. Citizens 2.244 15.3% 23.9% 3.5
Non-U.S. Citizens 7.155 -5.7% 76.1% -3.5

U.S. Flag Carriers (3) 3.316 -7.2% 35.3% -2.2
Foreign Flag Carriers 6.083 2.1% 64.7% 2.2

April 2016 Year-to-Date

Top 10 Foreign Airports (Passenger Traffic to/From U.S.):

25.9 million Passengers, 38% of Total International Air Traffic

Passengers (millions)

1. London Heathrow (LHR) 4.282
2. Toronto (YYZ) 4.158
3. Cancun (CUN) 3.245
4. Tokyo Narita (NRT) 3.024
5. Mexico City (MEX) 2.298
6. Incheon (ICN) 1.992
7. Paris/de Gaulle (CDG) 1.887
8. Frankfurt (FRA) 1.862
9. Vancouver (YVR) 1.723
10. Amsterdam (AMS) 1.39

Top 10 U.S. Airports (Passenger Traffic to/From Foreign Airports):
45.7 million Passengers, 67% of Total Air Traffic

Passengers (millions)

1. New York (JFK) 9.21
2. Miami (MIA) 7.135
3. Los Angeles (LAX) 6.81
4. Atlanta (ATL) 3.661
5. Newark (EWR) 3.653
6. Chicago (ORD) 3.608
7. San Francisco (SFO) 3.571
8. Houston (IAH) 3.508
9. Dallas-Ft. Worth (DFW) 2.502
10. Fort Lauderdale (FLL) 2.053

Top 10 Airlines (3) Serving U.S. International Non-Stop Markets:
38.1 million Passengers, 56% of Total Air Traffic

Passengers (millions)

1. United Airlines (UA) 9.415
2. American Airlines (AA) 9.288
3. Delta Air Lines (DL) 7.637
4. JetBlue (B6) 2.317
5. British Airways (BA) 2.18
6. WestJet (WS) 1.767
7. Lufthansa (LH) 1.628
8. Air Canada (RV) rouge 1.475
9. Air Canada (AC) mainline 1.262
10. AeroMexico (AM) 1.125

US-international air passenger traffic up six percent

WASHINGTON, DC – International air traffic to/from the US totaled 191.5 million passengers through November 2015, a six percent increase over the November 2014 year-to-date period.

WASHINGTON, DC – International air traffic to/from the US totaled 191.5 million passengers through November 2015, a six percent increase over the November 2014 year-to-date period.

U.S. citizen travel (86.0 million) was up eight percent and composed 45 percent of all air traffic. Non-U.S. citizen air travelers (105.5 million) increased by four percent with their market share at 55 percent.

U.S. airlines carried 95.8 million passengers, up two percent, with their share at 50 percent. Foreign flags carried 95.6 million passengers, up 10 percent from the same period 2014.

International Passengers (mlns) % Chg y-o-y Market Share % Pt. chg.
U.S. Citizens 85.978 7.9% 44.9% 0.8
Non-U.S. Citizens 105.508 4.3% 55.1% -0.8

U.S. Flag Carriers (3) 95.846 2.3% 50.1% -1.7
Foreign Flag Carriers 95.640 9.7% 49.9% 1.7

The following, overseas, Canada and Mexico regions are โ€˜breakoutsโ€™ of international:

Overseas air traffic accounted for 141.8 million passengers, 74 percent of all international, and grew by five percent.

U.S. citizen travel (63.3 million) was up six percent composing 45 percent of overseas air traffic. Non-U.S. citizen air travelers (78.6 million) were up by five percent with their market share at 55 percent.

U.S. airlines carried 67.8 million passengers, up two percent, their share at 48percent. Foreign flags carried 74.1 million passengers, up nine percent from November 2014 YTD.

Overseas Regions Passengers (mlns) % Chg y-o-y Market Share % Pt. chg.

U.S. Citizens 63.260 6.2% 44.6% 0.3
Non-U.S. Citizens 78.581 4.8% 55.4% -0.3

U.S. Flag Carriers (3) 67.787 2.1% 47.8% -1.5
Foreign Flag Carriers 74.055 8.7% 52.2% 1.5

Overseas regions performed as follows:

Overseas Regions Passengers (mlns) % of all International % Change

2015/2014 YTD

Europe 55.202 29% 4.0%
Asia 28.720 15% 6.3%
Caribbean 20.179 11% 6.1%
South America 13.983 7% 2.9%
Central America 9.727 5% 3.4%
Middle East 8.594 4% 18.2%
Oceania 4.229 2% 5.3%
Africa 1.208 1% -4.2%

China to U.S. โ€˜Air Arrivalsโ€™ (2) for November 2015:

Non-U.S. Citizens
(Originating PRC) U.S. Citizens
(Returning) Total Inbound on Non-stop Flights Load Factor (Estimate)
Passengers 138,527 98,295 236,822 76.3%
% Chg. Nov. YOY 18.0% 30.7% 22.9% 1.7 pct. pts

Estimated capacity (310,264 seats) on non-stop flights from PRC was up 20.1 percent in November, less than total inbound non-stop market passenger growth of 22.9 percent.

Chinese carriers increased average weekly frequencies from 97 to 133, up 37 percent.

U.S. carriers increased average weekly frequencies from 111 to 124, up 12 percent.

Gulf Carrier Air Traffic to/from the U.S. โ€“ November 2015 YTD

Passengers (mlns) % Chg. y-o-y
Emirates (EK) 2.765 33.4% (to/from Dubai (DXB); limited service from Milan (MXP)
Qatar (QR) 1.152 22.0% (to/from Doha (DOH))
Etihad (EY) 1.063 42.9% (to/from Abu Dhabi (AUH))
4.979

The Gulf carrier passenger share was 2.6% of all international passenger traffic to/from the U.S., up from 2.1% during November 2014YTD. Over 2.6 million passengers were inbound to the U.S. of which 1.5 million were foreign travelers.

North American markets accounted for 26 percent of U.S. international air traffic flows.

Canadian air traffic accounted for 25.9 million passengers, 14 percent of all international traffic, and increased by three percent.
U.S. citizen travel (7.7 million) increased nine percent and composed almost 30 percent of air traffic. Canadian, and other foreign national citizen air travelers transiting through Canada (18.3 million), increased by less than one percent. Market share was at 70 percent.

U.S. flags carried 10.9 million passengers, down five percent from last year, with their share at 42 percent. Foreign flags carried 15.1 million passengers, up nine percent.

Canadian Region Passengers (mlns) % Chg y-o-y Market Share % Pt. chg.
U.S. Citizens 7.666 8.7% 29.6% 1.6
Non-U.S. Citizens 18.265 0.5% 70.4% -1.6

U.S. Flag Carriers (3) 10.850 -4.6% 41.8% -3.3
Foreign Flag Carriers 15.081 8.9% 58.2% 3.3

Mexico air traffic accounted for 23.7 million passengers, almost 13 percent of all international traffic, and was up 14 percent.

U.S. citizen travel (15.1 million) increased 15 percent and composed almost 64 percent of air traffic. Mexicans, and other foreign national air travelers (8.7 million) transiting through Mexico, increased by eight percent, with market share 37 percent.

U.S. flags carried 17.2 million passengers, up eight percent from 2014, and their share slipped to 73 percent. Foreign flags carried 6.5 million passengers, up 25 percent increasing share to 27 percent.

Mexican Region Passengers (mlns) % Chg y-o-y Market Share % Pt. chg.
U.S. Citizens 15.052 15.1% 63.5% 1.5
Non-U.S. Citizens 8.662 8.2% 36.5% -1.5

U.S. Flag Carriers (3) 17.208 8.4% 72.6% -2.8
Foreign Flag Carriers 6.505 25.2% 27.4% 2.8

November 2015 Year-to-Date

Top 10 Foreign Airports (Passenger Traffic to/From U.S.):

75.1 million Passengers, 39% of Total International Air Traffic

Top 10 U.S. Airports (Passenger Traffic to/From Foreign Airports):
132.7 million Passengers, 69% of Total Air Traffic

Top 10 Airlines (3) Serving U.S. International Non-Stop Markets:
106.9 million Passengers, 56% of Total Air Traffic

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

Share to...