Record revenue for airlines in 2024 with net profit of 2.7%

07-12-23

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) announced strengthened projections for airline profitability in 2023, which will then largely stabilize in 2024.

However, worldwide net profitability is expected to be well below the cost of capital in both years. Very significant regional variations in financial performance persist.

Highlights include:

Airline industry net profits are expected to reach $25.7 billion in 2024 (net profit margin of 2.7%). This is a slight improvement over 2023, which is expected to show a net profit of $23.3 billion (net profit margin of 2.6%).

In both 2023 and 2024, the return on invested capital will be 4 percentage points behind the cost of capital, as interest rates around the world have risen in response to strong inflationary momentum.