India climbs global aviation ranks as premium travel soars, shows IATA report
India continued its sharp ascent in global aviation rankings in 2024, with strong growth in both domestic and international air travel, according to the latest World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The annual statistical digest, compiled from over 240 airlines worldwide, offers a sweeping view of industry performance across passenger demand, cargo metrics, aircraft utilisation, and financial health.
One of the biggest takeaways this year is that premium-class air travel, including first and business class, grew by 11.8% globally, slightly ahead of economy class growth (11.5%), reflecting a post-pandemic appetite for luxury and comfort in the skies.
India emerged as the fifth-largest air passenger market, with 211 million passengers in 2024, a rise of 11.1% compared to the previous year. The country now sits behind only the United States (876 million), China (741 million), the United Kingdom (261 million), and Spain (241 million), cementing its status as one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the world.
A key trend highlighted in the report was the global resurgence of premium-class travel. Of the 1.95 billion international passengers flown in 2024, 116.9 million (about 6%) opted for first or business class. The Middle East recorded the highest proportion of premium travellers, with 14.7% of all flyers choosing upscale cabins, while Europe retained its dominance in raw numbers with 39.3 million premium passengers.
The Asia-Pacific region saw the sharpest increase in absolute premium traffic, up 22.8% year-on-year to 21 million, although economy-class travel in the region grew even faster at 28.6%, driven by strong demand in China and India.
The Jeju–Seoul (CJU–GMP) air corridor in South Korea held its title as the world’s busiest passenger route with 13.2 million flyers, continuing the Asia-Pacific region’s domination of high-frequency air links. Of the world’s top 10 airport pairs, nine were within Asia-Pacific. Outside the region, only Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah–Riyadh (JED–RUH) route featured in the global top 10.
In Latin America, the Bogota–Medellín (BOG–MDE) route led with 3.8 million passengers, while in Africa, Cape Town–Johannesburg (CPT–JNB) saw 3.3 million flyers. The US domestic route between New York JFK and Los Angeles (JFK–LAX) topped North America with 2.2 million travellers, and Barcelona–Palma de Mallorca (BCN–PMI) was the busiest in Europe with 2 million passengers.
On the equipment front, Boeing 737 variants remained the most flown aircraft globally, clocking 10 million flights and 2.44 trillion Available Seat Kilometers (ASKs), a metric combining seat capacity with distance flown. The Airbus A320 followed with 7.9 million flights and 1.7 trillion ASKs, while the Airbus A321 saw robust growth with 3.4 million flights, reflecting its increasing popularity for short- to medium-haul routes.
The Airbus A220, a smaller narrow body jet, registered the highest year-on-year growth in flights at 21.7%, though it operated a more modest 411,543 flights overall.
The WATS report also offered insights into the financial and operational stability of the industry. While full recovery from the pandemic shock is still underway, robust growth in both premium and economy segments has helped stabilise revenues. Data showed increased aircraft utilisation and a moderate rise in operating costs, along with a stable aviation workforce.
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