In 2023, the estimated number of scheduled passengers boarded by the global airline industry amounted to approximately *** billion people. This represents a significant increase compared to the previous year since the pandemic started and the positive trend was forecast to continue in 2024, with the scheduled passenger volume reaching just below **** billion travelers. Airline passenger traffic The number of scheduled passengers handled by the global airline industry has increased in all but one of the last decade. Scheduled passengers refer to the number of passengers who have booked a flight with a commercial airline. Excluded are passengers on charter flights, whereby an entire plane is booked by a private group. In 2023, the Asia Pacific region had the highest share of airline passenger traffic, accounting for ********* of the global total.

The number of flights performed globally by the airline industry has increased steadily since the early 2000s and reached **** million in 2019. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the number of flights dropped to **** million in 2020. The flight volume increased again in the following years and was forecasted to reach ** million in 2025.

The average for 2021 based on 152 countries was 15 million passengers. The highest value was in the USA: 666.15 million passengers and the lowest value was in Guatemala: 0 million passengers. The indicator is available from 1970 to 2021. Below is a chart for all countries where data are available.

In 2024, U.S. airlines carried around 852.1 million passengers on domestic flights across the United States. This was an increase from the roughly 819.3 million domestic passengers carried by U.S. airlines in the previous year.

Global airlines' combined passenger load factor has been gradually trending upward over the last 15 years; from 75.2 percent in 2005 to 82.6 percent in 2019. In 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, passenger load factor dropped to 65 percent. However, it rebounded and forecast to reach 82,5 percent in 2024.
Passenger load factor Passenger load factor (PLF) is a measure of how much of an airline’s passenger carrying capacity has been utilized. It is calculated by dividing the revenue passenger kilometers, which is the total number of kilometers flown by passengers, by the available seat kilometers, which is the total number of kilometers flown for every seat in an aircraft (regardless of whether it has been filled or not). A higher passenger load factor therefore means that there are less empty seats on each aircraft, but does not indicate anything about changes in the total number of kilometers flown per passenger or per seat . PLF and profitability As airlines have fixed costs associated with every flight, a higher PLF will generally mean a higher profit margin for airlines. PLF is only one factor affecting total profitability though, meaning increases in PLF do not necessarily correspond with higher profits. In particular, the cost of airline fuel, which can be highly variable, has a strong effect on the operating margin of airlines. This can be seen clearly in through the jump in profitability from 2014 to 2015, which corresponds with a steep drop in the expenditure required for fuel.

Graph and download economic data for Load Factor for U.S. Air Carrier Domestic and International, Scheduled Passenger Flights (LOADFACTOR) from Jan 2000 to Feb 2025 about flight, passenger, air travel, travel, domestic, and USA.

Passengers enplaned and deplaned at Canadian airports, annual.

Daily data showing UK flight numbers and rolling seven-day average, including flights to, from, and within the UK. These are official statistics in development. Source: EUROCONTROL.

Democratic Republic of the Congo: Airline passengers of domestically owned airlines: The latest value from 2021 is 0.39 million passengers, an increase from 0.28 million passengers in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 15.00 million passengers, based on data from 152 countries. Historically, the average for Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1970 to 2021 is 0.36 million passengers. The minimum value, 0.08 million passengers, was reached in 1993 while the maximum of 0.96 million passengers was recorded in 2017.

China Southern Airline: Passenger Traffic: Year to Date: Domestic data was reported at 36,561.540 Person th in Mar 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 25,037.830 Person th for Feb 2025. China Southern Airline: Passenger Traffic: Year to Date: Domestic data is updated monthly, averaging 45,676.100 Person th from Feb 2008 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 206 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 145,174.750 Person th in Dec 2024 and a record low of 4,777.070 Person th in Jan 2009. China Southern Airline: Passenger Traffic: Year to Date: Domestic data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by China Southern Airlines Company Limited. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Transportation and Storage Sector – Table CN.TIC: Air: China Southern Airlines.

Graph and download economic data for Available Seat Miles for U.S. Air Carrier Domestic and International, Scheduled Passenger Flights (ASM) from Jan 2000 to Feb 2025 about flight, miles, passenger, air travel, travel, domestic, and USA.

This statistic represents passenger-miles in U.S. air traffic from 2007 through 2021. In 2020, due to the coronavirus pandemic, U.S. air passengers covered a distance of only 306.1 billion miles by plane. According to the source, air traffic passenger miles are defined as aircraft-miles flown on each inter airport segment multiplied by the number of passengers carried on that segment.

The United Arab Emirates: Airline passengers of domestically owned airlines: The latest value from 2021 is 28.42 million passengers, an increase from 26.12 million passengers in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 15.00 million passengers, based on data from 152 countries. Historically, the average for the United Arab Emirates from 1974 to 2021 is 21.43 million passengers. The minimum value, 0.13 million passengers, was reached in 1974 while the maximum of 95.76 million passengers was recorded in 2018.

China Transport: Average Distance: Passenger: Air data was reported at 1,664.000 km in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 1,554.861 km for 2022. China Transport: Average Distance: Passenger: Air data is updated yearly, averaging 1,378.500 km from Dec 1950 (Median) to 2023, with 74 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,773.707 km in 2019 and a record low of 684.000 km in 1961. China Transport: Average Distance: Passenger: Air data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Transport. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Transportation and Storage Sector – Table CN.TA: Transport: Passenger and Freight Average Distance.

South Korea: Airline passengers of domestically owned airlines: The latest value from 2021 is 34.02 million passengers, an increase from 30.03 million passengers in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 15.00 million passengers, based on data from 152 countries. Historically, the average for South Korea from 1970 to 2021 is 26.73 million passengers. The minimum value, 1.21 million passengers, was reached in 1970 while the maximum of 92.43 million passengers was recorded in 2019.

Poland: Airline passengers of domestically owned airlines: The latest value from 2021 is 3.68 million passengers, an increase from 2.69 million passengers in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 15.00 million passengers, based on data from 152 countries. Historically, the average for Poland from 1970 to 2021 is 2.83 million passengers. The minimum value, 0.76 million passengers, was reached in 1982 while the maximum of 10.23 million passengers was recorded in 2019.

Brazil Passenger Traffic: Belem: Landed in the Year data was reported at 833,282.000 Person in Jun 2019. This records an increase from the previous number of 692,508.000 Person for May 2019. Brazil Passenger Traffic: Belem: Landed in the Year data is updated monthly, averaging 820,360.500 Person from Jan 2014 (Median) to Jun 2019, with 66 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,938,908.000 Person in Dec 2014 and a record low of 153,588.000 Person in Jan 2016. Brazil Passenger Traffic: Belem: Landed in the Year data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Brazilian Airport Infrastructure Company. The data is categorized under Brazil Premium Database’s Transport and Telecommunication Sector – Table BR.TA006: Passenger Traffic: by Airport: Landed in the Year. Regular Transportation: Flight made with the existence of HOTRAN (existing authorized flights) thus defined by regulator. Non Regular Transportation: Commercial flight made by any aircraft without the existence of HOTRAN. Boarded Passenger: Passengers of origin, who start the trip at the airport, plus passengers on connection. Landed Passenger: Passengers destination, ending the trip at the airport, plus passengers on connection. Cabotage Passenger: Domestic passengers on an international flight. Please be advised that the information provided herein refers to movements of aircraft, passengers, Air Cargo and Mail are provided by the Airline through a form called Summary Passenger Embedded (RPE) Air Cargo: Refer exclusively to loads of basement.

Zambia: Airline passengers of domestically owned airlines: The latest value from 2021 is 0.14 million passengers, an increase from 0.01 million passengers in 2020. In comparison, the world average is 15.00 million passengers, based on data from 152 countries. Historically, the average for Zambia from 1970 to 2021 is 0.18 million passengers. The minimum value, 0.01 million passengers, was reached in 2013 while the maximum of 0.41 million passengers was recorded in 1990.

In 2024, the global air traffic passenger demand grew by **** percent compared to the previous year, when the passenger demand increased by **** percent. This figure was forecast to grow by eight percent in 2025.

In financial year 2024, the total air passenger traffic in India reached more than 220 million passengers. It was a huge increase compared to the previous year. The domestic passenger traffic saw a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.7 percent from 2014 to 2024, while the international passenger traffic saw a 4.5 percent CAGR during the same period of time.