African airlines see 12.4% y-o-y rise in demand for passenger air travel in Nov 2024, higher than 8.1% global average

 

(Posted 10th January 2024)

 

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released data for November 2024 global passenger demand with the following highlights:

  • Total demand, measured in revenue passenger kilometers (RPK), was up 8.1% compared to November 2023. Total capacity, measured in available seat kilometers (ASK), was up 5.7% year-on-year. The November load factor was 83.4% (+1.9 ppt compared to November 2023), an all-time high for November.
  • International demand rose 11.6% compared to November 2023. Capacity was up 8.6% year-on-year, and the load factor was 83.4% (+2.3 ppt compared to November 2023). Strong performance by carriers in Europe and Asia-Pacific drove this double-digit expansion in demand.
  • Domestic demand rose 3.1% compared to November 2023. Capacity was up 1.5% year-on-year and the load factor was 83.5% (+1.2 ppt compared to November 2023).

November was another month of strong growth in the demand for air travel with an overall expansion of 8.1%. The month was also another reminder of the supply chain issues that are preventing airlines from getting the aircraft they need to meet growing demand. Capacity growth is lagging demand by 2.4 ppts and load factors are at record levels. Airlines are missing out on opportunities to better serve customers, modernize their products and improve their environmental performance because aircraft are not being delivered on time. The 2025 New Year’s resolution for the aerospace manufacturing sector must be finding a fast and durable solution for their supply chain issues,” said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General.

Air passenger market in detail – November 2024

 

 

 

 

World

 

November 2024 (% year-on-year)

 

share1

 

RPK

ASK

PLF (%-pt)

PLF (level)

TOTAL MARKET

100.0%

 

8.1%

5.7%

1.9%

83.4%

   Africa

2.1%

 

10.9%

6.0%

3.3%

73.3%

   Asia Pacific

31.7%

 

14.0%

9.0%

3.7%

84.9%

   Europe

27.1%

 

8.3%

6.1%

1.7%

85.3%

   Latin America

5.5%

 

7.0%

6.6%

0.4%

84.5%

   Middle East

9.4%

 

8.9%

4.1%

3.6%

81.2%

   North America

24.2%

 

-0.7%

1.0%

-1.4%

81.0%

1% of industry RPKs in 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Regional Breakdown – International Passenger Markets 

 

All regions showed growth for international passenger markets in November 2024 compared to November 2023. Europe had the highest load factors (85.0%) while Asia-Pacific led on growth with a 19.9% year-on-year expansion in demand.

Asia-Pacific airlines achieved a 19.9% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 16.2% year-on-year and the load factor was 84.9% (+2.6 ppt compared to November 2023).

European carriers had a 9.4% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 7.1% year-on-year, and the load factor was 85.0 % (+1.8 ppt compared to November 2023).

Middle Eastern carriers saw an 8.7% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 3.9% year-on-year and the load factor was 81.0% (+3.6 ppt compared to November 2023).

North American carriers saw a 3.1% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity increased 1.6% year-on-year, and the load factor was 81.0% (+1.1 ppt compared to November 2023).

Latin American airlines saw an 11.4% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity climbed 11.9% year-on-year. The load factor was 84.4% (-0.4 ppt compared to November 2023).

African airlinesaw a 12.4% year-on-year increase in demand. Capacity was up 6.0% year-on-year. The load factor rose to 72.9% (+4.1 ppt compared to November 2023).

 

 

Domestic Passenger Markets 

 

Domestic RPK increased 3.1% over the previous year, decelerating slightly from the 3.5% growth posted in October. Signs of stable growth were shown in all markets except in the US which saw a 2.7% contraction, deeper than the 1.2% year-on-year dip recorded in October. This is part of a slowing trend in the US domestic market since June 2024 and mainly reflects lower low-cost carrier activity. US mainline carriers have continued to see growth over the same period.

 

World

 

November 2024 (% year-on-year)

 

share1

 

RPK

ASK

PLF (%-pt)

PLF (level)

   Domestic

39.9%

 

3.1%

1.5%

1.2%

83.5%

   Dom. Australia

0.8%

 

0.8%

-1.4%

1.9%

85.8%

   Domestic Brazil

1.2%

 

9.6%

6.4%

2.5%

85.2%

   Dom. China P.R.

11.2%

 

10.5%

2.6%

6.0%

83.4%

   Domestic India

1.8%

 

13.3%

9.2%

3.2%

89.5%

   Domestic Japan

1.1%

 

4.0%

0.9%

2.5%

84.1%

   Domestic US

15.4%

 

-2.7%

0.5%

-2.6%

80.7%

1% of industry RPKs in 2023

 

 

 

 

 

 

Note: the six domestic passenger markets for which broken-down data are available account for approximately 31.4% of global total RPKs and 78.8% of total domestic RPKs

 

>Read the latest Passenger Market Analysis

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