India has overtaken Japan to emerge as the world’s fifth-largest aviation market in 2024, flying 211 million air passengers, according to the latest World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) report released by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). This marks an 11.1% surge in passenger traffic compared to 2023.

The data includes both domestic and international travel, with India edging past Japan’s 205 million passengers. The United States retained the top spot with 876 million passengers, followed by China (741 million), the United Kingdom (261 million), and Spain (241 million).

India’s domestic aviation continues to drive its growth, with the Mumbai–Delhi route ranked as the seventh-busiest globally, handling 5.9 million flyers. Asia-Pacific routes dominated the global charts, led by South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul route, which carried 13.2 million passengers.

IATA also noted a significant rebound in premium class travel. Business and first-class international passengers rose 11.8% to 116.9 million, slightly surpassing economy growth of 11.5%. The Middle East led in premium share at 14.7%, while Asia-Pacific saw the sharpest rise in premium traffic at 22.8%.

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In terms of aircraft utilisation, Boeing’s 737 family topped the charts with 10 million flights and 2.4 trillion Available Seat Kilometres (ASKs), followed by the Airbus A320 and A321 models.

India’s aviation ascent reflects its strong domestic base and expanding global connectivity, solidifying its position among the world’s leading aviation hubs, IATA added.

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