The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released the latest edition of its World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) report, delivering a comprehensive analysis of global airline demand, supply, operational performance, and financial metrics through 2025.
Drawing from data across 1,315 airlines—including direct contributions from over 250 international carriers—the annual report offers an in-depth view of global fleets, top routes, employment, and market trends shaping the aviation industry.
Global demand for premium-class travel (business and first class) reached 109.7 million international passengers in 2025, marking a 4.5% year-on-year increase and accounting for 5.5% of all international travelers.
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Latin America recorded the steepest growth in premium travel, surging 22.1% to 4.0 million passengers.
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Europe maintained its status as the largest total market for premium travel with 39.7 million passengers.
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North America and the Middle East led in premium market concentration, with premium travelers representing 10.4% and 9.5% of their total passenger volumes, respectively.
Domestic connections swept the top 10 busiest airport pairs globally, with the Asia-Pacific region dominating nine of the top ten spots. The route between Jeju (CJU) and Seoul Gimpo (GMP) retained its position as the world’s busiest airline route, serving 13.3 million passengers. The sole route outside Asia-Pacific in the top 10 was Saudi Arabia’s domestic link between Jeddah (JED) and Riyadh (RUH).
Key regional route leaders for 2025 included:
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Africa: Cape Town (CPT) – Johannesburg (JNB) | 3.4 million passengers
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Latin America: Bogotá (BOG) – Medellín (MDE) | 3.5 million passengers
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Europe: Barcelona (BCN) – Palma de Mallorca (PMI) | 2.1 million passengers (Fastest growing: Stockholm Arlanda – Malmö, surging 85% to 271,031 passengers)
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North America:
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Busiest Domestic: New York (JFK) – Los Angeles (LAX) | 2.2 million passengers
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Busiest International: New York (JFK) – London Heathrow (LHR) | 2.1 million passengers
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The United States remained the world’s largest passenger market in 2025, handling 890.1 million total passengers (arriving and departing). However, it recorded the slowest growth among the top 10 global markets at 1.6% year-on-year. China followed as the second-largest market with 776.1 million passengers, up 4.8% from 2024.
Emerging markets in Central and Southeast Asia delivered standout growth rates:
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Kazakhstan: +40.0% YoY to 18.1 million passengers
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Uzbekistan: +16.9% YoY to 12.5 million passengers
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Vietnam: +14.8% YoY to 80.9 million passengers
