IATA Reports 8% Rise in Global Passenger Demand for July 2024

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported an 8% increase in global passenger demand for July 2024 compared to the same month in 2023.

In its latest report, IATA noted a 7.4% year-over-year rise in global capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK). The overall passenger load factor reached 86%, up by 0.5 percentage points from July 2023. Despite this strong performance, IATA observed no significant impact on demand from the IT service disruption caused by CrowdStrike on July 19.

International travel saw a notable 10.1% increase in demand compared to the previous year, with capacity growing by 10.5%. However, the load factor for international flights decreased slightly to 85.9%, down by 0.3 percentage points from July 2023. Domestic travel also experienced growth, with demand rising 4.8% and capacity increasing by 2.8%. The domestic load factor improved to 86.1%, a 1.7 percentage point increase from the previous year.

IATA's Director General, Willie Walsh, commented on the results: “July was another positive month. In fact, passenger demand reached an all-time high for the industry and in all regions except Africa, despite the significant IT disruption caused by CrowdStrike.” Walsh further noted, “The end of the Northern Hemisphere’s peak summer season underscores how much people rely on air travel. As the traveler mix shifts from leisure to business, the diverse roles of aviation become evident: uniting families, enabling exploration, and driving commerce.”

Regional performance varied, according to A21. Asia-Pacific airlines saw a robust 19.1% increase in demand, with capacity growing by 20.3%, though the load factor declined slightly to 83.8%. European airlines experienced an 8.3% increase in demand and an 8.1% rise in capacity, leading to a marginal improvement in the load factor to 87.5%. Middle Eastern airlines saw a 5.8% increase in demand, with capacity rising by 5.5% and a load factor of 84.1%.

In North America, airlines reported a 5.3% increase in demand and a 6.3% increase in capacity, achieving the highest regional load factor at 89.4%. Latin American airlines experienced a robust 13.4% increase in demand, with capacity growing by 15.7%.