Translations: La demanda de pasajeros aéreos se acelera un 10% en enero (pdf)
Geneva – The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for January 2025 global passenger demand with the following highlights:
“We’ve seen a notable acceleration in demand this January, with a particularly strong performance by carriers based in the Asia-Pacific region. The record high load factors that accompany this strong demand are yet another reminder of the persistent supply chain issues in the aerospace sector,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.
“The strong growth in demand aligns with the results of our latest passenger survey (November 2024) in which 94% of travelers indicted that they planned to travel as much or more in the coming 12 months than they did in the past year. Airlines are doing a good job of accommodating growing demand amid fleet and infrastructure constraints with satisfaction levels above 95%, and nearly 80% of travelers agreeing that air travel is good value for money. Choice is an important component of this satisfaction. Some 70% prefer to pay the lowest fare and customize the additional services they need. It is important for regulators to clearly understand that the majority of travelers do not want to pay automatically for services they don’t need,” said Walsh.
| January 2025 (% year-on-year) | World Share1 | RPK | ASK | PLF(%-PT)2 | PLF(Level)3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total Market | 100% | 10.0% | 7.1% | +2.2% | 82.1% |
| Africa | 2.2% | 15.0% | 11.5% | +2.3% | 75.9% |
| Asia Pacific | 33.5% | 16.1% | 11.6% | +3.3% | 84.2% |
| Europe | 26.7% | 7.4% | 5.3% | +1.5% | 79.8% |
| Latin America | 5.3% | 7.9% | 9.9% | -1.5% | 83.3% |
| Middle East | 9.4% | 9.6% | 4.3% | +4.0% | 83.9% |
| North America | 22.9% | 3.4% | 2.1% | +1.0% | 80.5% |
1) % of industry RPKs in 2024 2) Year-on-year change in load factor 3) Load Factor Level
All regions showed growth for international passenger markets in January 2025 compared to January 2024, with Asia-Pacific demand particularly strong. All markets except Europe and North America showed strong acceleration in January compared to December 2024. Load factors rose year-on-year in all markets except Latin America.
Asia-Pacific airlines achieved a 21.8% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 16.5% year-on-year and the load factor was 86.7% (+3.8 ppt compared to January 2024). Traffic from Northeast Asia was particularly strong.
European carriers had an 8.6% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 6.2% year-on-year, and the load factor was 79.2% (+1.8 ppt compared to January 2024).
Middle Eastern carriers saw an 9.6% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 4.4% year-on-year and the load factor was 83.8% (+4.0 ppt compared to January 2024). Results in this region have been underpinned by a gradual return of traffic in Israel, and strong performance of the Gulf carriers.
North American carriers saw a 3.8% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 0.6% year-on-year, and the load factor was 81.8% (+2.6 ppt compared to January 2024).
Latin American airlines saw an 12.9% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity climbed 15.5% year-on-year. The load factor was 84.3% (-1.9 ppt compared to January 2024).
African airlines saw a 14.9% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 11.2% year-on-year. The load factor rose to 75.9% (+2.4 ppt compared to January 2024).
Domestic RPK increased 6.1% over the previous year, reflecting particularly strong growth in India (despite engine issues for some carriers), Japan and China. China’s growth of 10.0% was driven by record numbers traveling for the Lunar New Year. Load factors continued to edge up (+1.2ppt) to hit a record high of 81.2% for January.
| January 2025 (% year-on-year) | World Share1 | RPK | ASK | PLF(%-PT)2 | PLF(LEVEL)3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic | 38.2% | 6.1% | 4.5% | +1.2% | 81.2% |
| Domestic Australia | 0.8% | 4.7% | -2.0% | +5.0% | 77.4% |
| Domestic Brazil | 1.1% | 6.6% | 6.9% | -0.3% | 83.0% |
| Domestic China P.R. | 11.3% | 10.0% | 5.7% | +3.3% | 83.3% |
| Domestic India | 1.6% | 17.1% | 17.2% | -0.1% | 88.9% |
| Domestic Japan | 1.0% | 12.1% | 6.1% | +3.9% | 73.8% |
| Domestic US | 14.4% | 3.0% | 2.6% | +0.3% | 79.6% |
1) % of industry RPKs in 2024 2) year-on-year change in load factor 3) Load Factor Level
Note: the six domestic passenger markets for which broken-down data are available account for approximately 30.2% of global total RPKs and 79.1% of total domestic RPKs.
> View the January 2025 Air Passenger Market Analysis (pdf)
For more information, please contact:
Corporate Communications
Tel: +41 22 770 2967
Email: [email protected]
Notes for Editors:
– RPK: Revenue Passenger Kilometers measures actual passenger traffic
– ASK: Available Seat Kilometers measures available passenger capacity
– PLF: Passenger Load Factor is % of ASKs used.
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