When was the busiest day for air travel in 2024? Which flight routes have topped 100 flights per day? Which is the fastest growing airline? As leading air travel data provider to the global travel industry, OAG can answer some of the biggest questions around travel in 2024. Read on for more air travel data that tells the story of 2024.

Which was the busiest day for AIR CAPACITY in 2024?

On Friday August 2nd, airline seat capacity was 19,278,320, making this the busiest day of the year for air travel, and surpassing 2023's busiest day by just over 692,000 seats. On August 2nd, airline capacity was 18% higher than the average daily airline capacity in 2024, which was 16,096,525 seats.

Which was the quietest day for air travel in 2024?

The lowest daily global airline capacity figure recorded in 2024 was on US Thanksgiving day, when there were 14,871,278 seats scheduled by airlines. You can find out more about the patterns we see in the busiest and quietest days for air travel by reading our analysis here.

Which Airport is Most recovered to Pre-Pandemic Capacity?

A combination of factors including increased connectivity, expansion plans for 2025, and growing travel demand from the expanding Colombian middle class puts El Dorado International Airport in Bogotá top of the class for capacity growth since 2019. Capacity at the airport has increased by 38% over the past five years.

The fastest growing airport, year-on-year is...

As China's pandemic recovery kicks up a gear, Shanghai Pudong (PVG) is the fastest growing airport year-on-year, with an increase of almost 10M seats. The airport has a number of ongoing and completed expansion projects which have contributed to this impressive growth, which has been helped by China's relaxation of visa requirements.

The Airport Adding Most Routes

Prague's Václav Havel Airport (PRG) has added most routes this year, including easyJet flights to Nantes, Naples, Nice and Liverpool and Etihad's flights to Abu Dhabi. In total, 43 routes have been added, taking the total of routes served by PRG from 133 to 176.

Routes with 100+ flights per day

In 2024 there were 10 routes with an average daily frequency of 100 flights or more - that's four or more flights per hour! These routes, listed below along with their average daily frequency in 2024, are among the busiest domestic routes in the world.

• CJU-GMP, 199
• MEL-SYD, 138
• JED-RUH, 117
• HAN-SGN, 114
• FUK-HND, 112
• BOM-DEL, 108
• CTS-HND, 108
• CGH-SDU, 103
• BOG-MDE, 101
• CGK-UPG, 100

The Fastest Growing Airline of 2024

Compared to 2023, the airline with most increased frequency in 2024 was HK Express, which has grown its number of flights by 46% from 23,940 to 35,015. The LCC, which is part of the Cathay Pacific Group, has expanded its network and fleet this year.

• What was the busiest route of 2024? Find out here

Now that you're up to speed with the key aviation industry statistics from 2024, see what our analysts think could be in store for 2025 with our predictions for the year ahead.