The World Air Transport Statistics also includes data on the global airline fleet, leading routes, employment and airline financial performance, including costs and revenues. The publication incorporates information from 1,315 airlines within the IATA Annual Statistics collection, including more than 250 international airlines that provide specific data contributions.
Premium-Class Travel Shows Strong Growth
International premium-class travel continued to grow during 2025. The number of passengers travelling internationally in business or first class reached 109.7 million, representing a 4.5% increase from 2024 and 5.5% of all international travellers.
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Latin America recorded the strongest increase in premium-class passenger numbers, rising 22.1% to 4.0 million. Europe remained the largest premium travel market, with 39.7 million passengers during the year.
However, North America recorded the highest share of premium-class passengers as a proportion of total passenger numbers, at 10.4%. The Middle East followed with a premium-class share of 9.5%.
Asia Dominates Busiest Airport Pairs
Asia Pacific dominated the ranking of the world’s busiest airport pairs in 2025. The route between Jeju International Airport and Seoul’s Gimpo International Airport remained the busiest globally, carrying 13.3 million passengers.
Only one of the world’s ten busiest airport pairs was located outside Asia Pacific. The connection between Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport and Riyadh’s King Khalid International Airport was the only exception, while all ten leading airport pairs were domestic routes.
In Africa, the route between Cape Town International Airport and Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport was the busiest airport pair, carrying 3.4 million passengers. Latin America’s leading connection was between Bogotá’s El Dorado International Airport and Medellín’s José María Córdova International Airport, with 3.5 million passengers.
Biggest Passenger Markets by Country in 2025
| Country | Passenger Numbers | Change % YoY |
|---|---|---|
United States | 890.1m | +1.6% |
China (People’s Republic of) | 776.1m | +4.8% |
United Kingdom | 269.7m | +3.4% |
Spain | 252.7m | +5.0% |
Japan | 223.5m | +9.2% |
India | 218.2m | +3.3% |
Italy | 187.3m | +5.8% |
Germany | 163.8m | +3.4% |
France | 152.6m | +2.2% |
Türkiye | 129.3m | +2.9% |
*Figures include scheduled passengers originating or terminating in each country. Domestic journeys are counted once; international journeys are counted in both the origin and destination countries.
New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport – Los Angeles International Airport was North America’s busiest domestic airport pair, carrying 2.2 million passengers. The JFK–London Heathrow route was the region’s busiest international airport pair, with 2.1 million passengers.
Top Passenger Markets by Country
The United States remained the world’s largest passenger market in 2025, recording 890.1 million arriving and departing passengers. However, it registered the slowest growth among the world’s ten largest markets, increasing 1.6% compared with 2024.
China ranked as the second-largest passenger market, with 776.1 million passengers. This represented year-on-year growth of 4.8%.
Several Central Asian countries ranked among the world’s fastest-growing passenger markets. Kazakhstan recorded a 40.0% increase to 18.1 million passengers, while Uzbekistan handled 12.5 million passengers, up 16.9% from the previous year.
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Outside Central Asia, Vietnam also recorded strong passenger growth. Its market reached 80.9 million passengers in 2025, representing an annual increase of 14.8%.
Aircraft usage data showed continued growth for newer and more efficient widebody models. The number of flights operated by the Boeing 787 increased 40.8% between 2019 and 2025, while Airbus A350 flights rose 117.4% over the same period.
Most Used Aircraft Types
The Changing Face of the Global Fleet
| Aircraft type / Model | Number of Flights 2025 | Number of Flights 2019 | Change 2019-2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
Narrow Body / Boeing 737 | 10.8m | 10.5m | +3.1% |
Narrow Body / Airbus A320 | 8.7m | 8.1m | +7.6% |
Narrow Body / Airbus A321 | 4.2m | 2.6m | +61.6% |
Narrow Body / Embraer ERJ170/190 | 2.7m | 2.6m | +2.8% |
Narrow Body / Airbus A319 | 1.4m | 2.1m | -34.3% |
Wide Body / Boeing 787 | 795k | 564k | +40.8% |
Narrow Body / Airbus A220 | 530k | 61k | +770.4% |
Wide Body / Airbus A350 | 434k | 200k | +117.4% |
Wide Body / Airbus A380 | 90k | 119k | -24.4% |
By contrast, the Airbus A380 operated 24.4% fewer flights in 2025 than in 2019. Narrowbody aircraft produced by Boeing and Airbus remained the most widely used aircraft types worldwide.
Boeing 737 aircraft, including all variants, operated 10.8 million flights during 2025, an increase of 12.0% from 2024. The Airbus A320 followed with 8.7 million flights, while the Airbus A321 operated 4.2 million flights.
Tags: IATA
