Air Transportation: Record-Breaking 2025

Air travel continues to grow significantly, and the International Air Transport Association (IATA) predicts that a new record for global passenger numbers will be reached in 2025.

For the first time in history, the number of passengers who will use air transportation next year will exceed 5 billion, reaching about 5.2 billion with a 6.7% increase compared to 2024. There will also be a clear increase in revenues, which will reach $1.007 billion and benefit not only from more users, but also from falling fuel prices. “All this gives us financial results for which I think we should drink champagne,” Marie Owens Thomsen explained during a press conference in Geneva, as reported by Italian news agency ANSA.

However, the sector is not doing so well as it faces chronic delays in the supply chain. “This upsets all airlines with a triple hit to revenues, costs, and environmental performance. There is no doubt that if we had more airplanes, they could be operated profitably, so our revenues are jeopardized. Meanwhile, the aging fleets used by airlines are driving up maintenance costs, consuming more fuel and requiring more capital to keep flying. This is a time when airlines should be rebuilding their shaken balance sheets in the wake of the pandemic, but progress is effectively limited to supply chain issues that manufacturers need to address,” explained Willie Walsh, IATA’s CEO.