January saw a 10% increase, in year-on-year (y-o-y) terms, in total global air passenger traffic. This was reported by the global representative body for the airline industry, the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Total capacity was also up, by 7.1%, while the load factor was 82.1%, which was a 2.2 percentage point (ppt) increase over January 2024, and the highest level ever recorded in January.

“We’ve seen a notable acceleration in demand this January, with a particularly strong performance by carriers based in the Asia-Pacific region,” noted IATA director-general Willie Walsh. “The record high load factors that accompany this strong demand are yet another reminder of the persistent supply chain issues in the aerospace sector.”

International demand in January jumped 12.4%, y-o-y, while capacity increased by 8.7%. The international load factor increased by 2.7 ppt, compared with January last year, reaching 82.6%, which was also a record high for January.

Domestic demand rose 6.1% over the same period, while capacity was augmented by 4.5%. The load factor was 81.2%, a 1.2 ppt increase over January 2024, and again a record level.

In terms of IATA’s regions, that which saw the strongest y-o-y growth in total air passenger traffic in January was the Asia-Pacific, at 16.1%, followed closely by Africa, at 15%. Then came the Middle East (9.6%), followed by Latin America (7.9%), Europe (7.4%), and North America (3.4%).

When it came to international passenger traffic, the order was almost, but not quite, the same. Again, the Asia-Pacific ranked first, at 21.8%, and again Africa ranked second, at 14.9%. But Latin America ranked third (12.9%) and the Middle East fourth (9.6%). Then came Europe (8.6%) and North America (3.8%).

The six major domestic markets regularly monitored by IATA were Australia, Brazil, China, India, Japan and the US. Of these, the one that saw the strongest growth, y-o-y, in January, was India, at 17.1%. Japan was second, with 12.1%, followed by China (10%). Then came Brazil (6.6%), Australia (4.7%), and the US (3%).

“The strong growth in demand aligns with the results of our latest passenger survey (November 2024) in which 94% of travellers indicated that they planned to travel as much or more in the coming 12 months than they did in the past year,” pointed out Walsh. “Airlines are doing a good job of accommodating growing demand amid fleet and infrastructure constraints with satisfaction levels above 95%, and nearly 60% of travellers agreeing that air travel is good value for money.”