Global air passenger demand rose 8.1 per cent in November 2024, with international travel leading the growth as airlines faced ongoing aircraft delivery challenges.
Total capacity grew 5.7 per cent year-on-year while load factors hit an all-time November high of 83.4 per cent, according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
International travel demand increased 11.6 per cent compared to November 2023, driven by strong performance from European and Asia-Pacific carriers.
IATA Director General Willie Walsh said supply chain issues were limiting airlines’ ability to meet demand.
“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,” he said.
Asia-Pacific airlines recorded the strongest international growth at 19.9 per cent, while European carriers saw demand rise 9.4 per cent.
Domestic travel growth moderated to 3.1 per cent, with most markets showing stable growth except the United States, which contracted 2.7 per cent due to reduced low-cost carrier activity.
Indian domestic travel led growth at 13.3 per cent, followed by China at 10.5 per cent and Brazil at 9.6 per cent.
The Middle East saw international demand rise 8.7 per cent while North American carriers reported a 3.1 per cent increase.
Latin American airlines recorded 11.4 per cent growth in international demand, though capacity growth of 11.9 per cent led to a slight drop in load factors.
African carriers achieved 12.4 per cent growth in international demand with a significant improvement in load factors.
Capacity growth continued to lag demand by 2.4 percentage points globally, pushing load factors to record levels for November.
