According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA) latest statistics on worldwide passenger demand, in June 2024, the overall demand, assessed in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), increased by 9.1% in comparison to June 2023. Concurrently, total capacity, evaluated in available seat kilometers (ASK), rose by 8.5% year-on-year. The load factor for June stood at 85.0%, reflecting an increase of 0.5 percentage points (ppt) relative to June 2023.
Global demand experienced an increase of 12.3% in comparison to June 2023. Year-on-year, capacity grew by 12.7%, and the load factor saw an enhancement to 85.0%, reflecting a decrease of 0.3 percentage points from June 2023.
In the domestic market, demand rose by 4.3% relative to June 2023, with capacity increasing by 2.1% year-on-year. The load factor reached 85.0%, which is an improvement of 1.7 percentage points compared to June 2023.
As the peak travel season in Northern summer commenced in June, demand surged across all regions. With overall capacity growth not keeping pace with this demand, an impressive average load factor of 85% was recorded in both domestic and international operations. While operating at such elevated load factors presents advantages, it also poses challenges. This situation underscores the necessity for all stakeholders to maintain uniform efficiency levels to reduce delays and ensure that travelers reach their destinations punctually, stated Willie Walsh, Director General of IATA.
“As the Olympic Games unfold in Paris there is pride across the aviation industry for its continuing role in supporting the Olympic story by bringing many of the athletes, fans, and officials together. It is a great reminder of how aviation transforms our very big world into a global community. We wish France every success as the host of the games and cheer all the athletes who will demonstrate the best of human endeavor over the next weeks,” said Walsh.
Regional Breakdown – International Passenger Markets
All regions showed strong growth for international passenger markets in June 2024 compared to June 2023.
The demand for Asia-Pacific airlines continued to show strong growth, experiencing a 22.6% year-on-year increase. Meanwhile, capacity also saw a significant 22.9% year-on-year increase, resulting in a load factor of 83.0% (-0.2ppt compared to June 2023). Notably, the Africa-Asia route emerged as the fastest expanding regional pair, with a growth of 38.1%.
On the other hand, European carriers witnessed a 9.1% year-on-year increase in demand, accompanied by a 9.8% year-on-year increase in capacity. This led to a load factor of 87.4% (-0.6ppt compared to June 2023).
Middle Eastern airlines experienced a 9.6% year-over-year growth in demand. Capacity rose by 9.4% year-over-year, with a load factor of 79.7% (+0.1ppt from June 2023).
North American carriers witnessed a 6.6% year-over-year surge in demand. Capacity increased by 8.6% year-over-year, and the load factor stood at 88.7% (-1.6 ppt from June 2023), the most robust among all regions.
Latin American airlines experienced a 15.3% year-over-year growth in demand, with capacity rising by 15.6% during the same period. The load factor stood at 85.1%, showing a slight decrease of 0.2 percentage points compared to June 2023.
African airlines, on the other hand, witnessed a 16.9% year-on-year surge in demand, while capacity increased by 5.8% year-on-year. The load factor significantly improved to 77.0%, marking a notable increase of 7.4 percentage points compared to June 2023. This improvement in load factor was the most significant among all regions.
Domestic Markets
In June, there was a rise in domestic demand, showing strong growth in the majority of key markets, except for Japan and Australia.
Brazil experienced the highest increase with a 7.6% year-on-year growth.
Domestic ticket sales for July and August travel in June decreased by -0.9% compared to the previous year, indicating a gradual slowdown in demand towards pre-pandemic growth levels.