India Emerges as World’s 5th Largest Aviation Market in 2024 and Handling 241 Million Passengers.
International
In 2024, India ascended to become the fifth-largest aviation market globally, transporting 241 million passengers across domestic and international routes, overtaking Japan. This milestone was revealed by the latest World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) report from the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
- India's air passenger volume rose by 11.1% year-on-year, reaching 241 million in 2024. This surge enabled India to surpass Japan, which handled 205 million passengers with an 18.6% annual increase, placing India at the 5th spot globally.
- According to IATA’s 2024 WATS report, the United States (876 million passengers) retained the top position, followed by China (741 million), United Kingdom (261 million), Spain (241 million), and India at fifth.
Main Point :- (i) The Mumbai–Delhi air corridor ranked among the world’s top busiest airport pairs in 2024, transporting 5.9 million passengers—the 7th busiest route globally.
(ii) Surging passenger demand has fuelled massive infrastructure development in India. As of early 2025, the government achieved over 91% of planned capital expenditure under the FY2020–25 aviation expansion plan, including the addition of new airports and enhancement of existing facilities.
(iii) The milestone underscores India's fast-growing domestic aviation demand and reinforces its ambition to become a global aviation hub by 2047. However, barriers like airline capacity constraints, infrastructure gaps, and regulatory hurdles remain key challenges.
About International Air Transport Association (IATA)
Director general: Willie Walsh
Headquarters: Montreal, Canada
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