2024 Smashed All-Time Airline Industry Records: 4 Key Takeaways

Despite geopolitical shocks, economic worries, and chronic aircraft supply issues, 2024 was a record-breaking year for the airline industry. 

New figures released Thursday show that globally in 2024, more seats were available on passenger flights than any other year. A total of 5.85 billion were on offer, comfortably beating 2019’s previous record by 2%. 

Here are four key takeaways from the latest data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.

1: More Seats but Fewer Flights

You’d be forgiven for thinking that record-breaking passenger capacity requires more flights, but the opposite happened between 2019 and 2024. The total number of scheduled flights reached 36.4 million in 2024 – around 5% below 2019 levels.  

This is explained by airlines using larger aircraft with a higher average seating capacity. An example of this is easyJet phasing out its 156-seater Airbus A319s in favor of larger A320s and A321s, with 186 and 235 seats respectively. These bigger planes are particularly useful for airlines that serve congested, slot-constrained airports.

The data also suggests a notable increase in average flight capacity. This reached 161 seats per flight in 2024, compared to 150 seats in 2019 and just 140 a decade ago.

2: U.S. Carriers Dominate

There are many ways to define which airlines are the world’s most powerful.

Common metrics include the number of destinations served, fleet size, and profitability. When considering the total number of seats on sale, U.S. airlines took four out of the top five spots globally in 2024. 

American Airlines ranked number one, followed by Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, and Southwest Airlines. The only non-U.S. company to make the top five was European low-cost carrier Ryanair. 

3: A Broader Airport Battle

There was greater global competition for the top five busiest airports in 2024.

Hartsfield-Jackson International in Atlanta was officially the world’s busiest. The hub – which is home to Delta Air Lines – had more than 62.7 million departing seats last year.

In second place was Dubai International with 59.7 million. Tokyo Haneda – one of two major airports serving the Japanese capital – was in third place with 55 million departing seats. London Heathrow and Dallas-Fort Worth followed with 52.4 and 51.4 million respectively.

4: Asia Leads Busiest Routes

Haneda’s podium finish for busiest airport wasn’t the only Asian representation in 2024’s aviation chart. Eight out of 10 of the busiest routes in the world were in Asia last year. Seoul Gimpo to Jeju retained its usual place at the top of the global ranking, with more than 15 million annual seats on the South Korean domestic link. 

Despite being home to some of the world’s best-known airlines, the Middle East only had one route in the top 10, with Australia rounding out the chart. 

The Cirium data echoes earlier numbers published by a range of industry stakeholders. December 1, 2024 was the busiest day in TSA history as the agency processed 3.09 million travelers. It capped off one of the busiest Thanksgiving travel periods on record.

Looking ahead, the average air fare is expected to be slightly cheaper in 2025, according to an outlook from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). It follows surging global demand and the historic milestone of surpassing $1 trillion in industry revenue in 2024.

Last week, Delta CEO Ed Bastian, projected a record 2025. The carrier expects strong travel and premium demand to continue, with the current industry environment “positioning us to deliver the best financial year in Delta’s 100-year history.”

To gain a better understanding of what 2025 could hold in store for the wider travel industry, read our latest Skift Megatrends here.