Air demand in September remained strong, with traffic at "an all-time high for September," increasing 7.1 percent year over year, according to the latest report from the International Air Transport Association. Capacity for the month increased 5.8 percent, and the load factor was 83.6 percent, up 1 percentage point compared with September 2023.
September domestic demand increased 3.7 percent year over year, with capacity up 0.7 percent. Load factor increased 2.4 percentage points to 83.3 percent. International demand increased 9.2 percent compared with a year prior, with capacity up 9.1 percent. Load factor remained steady, increasing 0.1 percentage point to 83.8 percent.
"The year's peak travel season ended with demand at an all-time high," IATA director general Willie Walsh said in a statement. "This is good news not just for passengers but also for the global economy. Every flight creates more jobs and trade. But the air travel success story is bringing challenges. We will soon face a capacity crunch in some regions which threaten to curtail these economic and social benefits. Governments will face a choice: Lose out to more dynamic nations who value global connectivity or forge a consensus for sustainable growth."
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Total demand regionally remained steady with September growth rates ranging from 1.1 percent year over year in the United States to 12.4 percent in Asia-Pacific. Capacity increases ranged from a 2.2 percent increase in the U.S. to 8 percent in Asia-Pacific. The U.S. and Latin America were the only two regions to see load factor fall in September, the former by 0.9 percent year over year to 82.4 percent and the latter by 0.3 percent to 83.4 percent.
In domestic markets, September traffic was at record-high levels in all surveyed countries but Japan, though there it still increased 6.7 percent year over year, which was second only to China at 7.7 percent, according to IATA. Capacity shrunk on a year-over-year basis for three regions—China (1.8 percent), Japan (1 percent) and Australia (0.6 percent). India, however, expanded capacity 9.6 percent year over year. Load factors increased for all but India, which was down 2.4 percentage points to 83.1 percent and the U.S., down 0.6 percent to 81.3 percent.
For international markets, three regions in September had double-digit traffic growth, but North America reported just a 0.5 percent increase year over year in demand. Asia-Pacific and Latin America increased capacity by 17.7 percent and 13.9 percent, respectively, compared with September 2023. Load factors declined for half of the regions, however, including Latin America and North America at 1.1 percentage points each, and the Middle East at 0.1 percentage point. Only Africa had a load factor increase of more than a percentage point, at 3.6 percent to 76 percent, according to IATA.
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