Global air traffic grew by 14% in March, according to IATA

08-05-24

• China remained the leading market with an increase of 17.6% compared to March 2023

Global air passenger traffic increased by 13.8% in March compared to the third month of 2023, with a 12.3% growth in total capacity and an occupancy factor of 82%, up one percentage point, according to data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

Thus, domestic air passenger transport grew by 6.6% over the previous year's figures, while in the international market it increased by 19%.

With these figures, IATA's director general, Willie Walsh, stressed that “travel demand is strong and all indications are that this should continue during the peak summer travel season.”

“It is critical that we have the capacity to meet this demand and ensure a seamless travel experience for passengers. This means making urgent progress in resolving supply chain issues and ensuring airports and air traffic management are fully staffed and operating at maximum efficiency,” he added.

By zone, Asia-Pacific airlines' international traffic increased the most in March, up 38.5% compared to 2023. Capacity grew by 37.4% and the occupancy factor rose by 0.7 percentage points to 85.6%.

On the European side, their international traffic grew by 11.6% compared to the previous year, while capacity increased by 11.4% and the occupancy factor was 80%.

In addition, Middle Eastern airlines recorded a 10.8% increase in demand in March 2024, while North American and Latin American airlines grew by 14.5% and 19.7%, respectively. In Africa, airline traffic was 8.1% higher last year.

In the domestic market, China remained the leading market with a 17.6% increase over March 2023, while other markets showed stable growth with the exception of Australia.

Good air cargo data

On the other hand, air cargo demand data also reflects a good start to 2024 with a 10.3% increase in March over the same period in 2023. This is the fourth consecutive month of double-digit year-on-year demand growth.

In this regard, IATA's director general emphasized that this increase contributed to strong first quarter results, which slightly exceeded even the “exceptionally good results” of the first quarter of 2021, during the Covid-19 crisis.

“With global cross-border trade and industrial production continuing to show a moderate upward trend, 2024 is shaping up to be a strong year for air cargo,” Walsh added.