Passenger demand up 8% in July

IATA’s July 2024 report shows a positive month for passenger demand which, according to the organisation’s Director General, Willie Walsh, is at “an all-time high” in all regions except Africa, despite significant disruption caused by the CrowdStrike IT outage.

“The winding down of the peak northern summer season is a reminder of how much people depend on flying. As the mix of travellers shift from leisure to business, aviation’s many roles are evident – reuniting families, enabling exploration, and powering commerce. People need and want to fly.

“And they are doing that in great numbers. Load factors are at the practicable maximum. But persistent supply chain bottlenecks have made deploying the capacity to meet the need to travel more challenging. As much of the world returns from vacation, there is an urgent call for manufacturers and suppliers to resolve their supply chain issues so that air travel remains accessible and affordable to all those who rely on it,” said Walsh.

Regional breakdown: international passenger markets

According to the IATA data, all regions showed strong growth for international passenger markets in July 2024 compared with July 2023, with signs that many markets are returning to long-term growth trends after the post-pandemic bounce back. 

• Asia-Pacific airlines’ growth remained strong, with a 19.1% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 20.3% year on year, and the load factor was 83.8%, down 0.8 percentage points (ppt) on July 2023. Most Asia routes have yet to exceed 2019 levels, except for the Asia–Middle East route
• European carriers saw an 8.3% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 8.1% year on year, and the load factor was 87.5% (up 0.2ppt compared with July 2023). In terms of major international routes, the Europe–Asia route expanded fastest, reflecting this is still to surpass 2019 levels
• Middle Eastern carriers saw a 5.8% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 5.5% year on year, and the load factor was 84.1% (a rise of 0.3ppt compared with July 2023).
• North American carriers saw a 5.3% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 6.3% year on year, and the load factor was 89.4% (-0.8 ppt compared with July 2023), the highest among regions
• Latin American airlines saw a 13.4% year-on-year increase in demand, while capacity climbed 15.7% year on year. The load factor was 87.5% (-1.7ppt compared with July 2023). While Hurricane Beryl had a strong localised impact on parts of the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and the southern United States, this did not significantly dampen demand region-wide
• African airlines saw a 7.4% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 6.7% year on year. The load factor rose to 74.3% (+0.5ppt compared with July 2023).

Domestic markets

The IATA also reported that domestic demand increased in July, with solid growth resulting in all key markets bar India reaching all-time highs. Brazil once again expanded fastest, while Japan and Australia rebounded from the previous month’s negative growth.