This country had 4 times more flyers than India in 2024 as per IATA

The United States is the world’s biggest aviation market, with 876 million passengers per year in 2024, mostly flying domestic. That is four times the number of air passengers in India, the world’s most populous country and the fifth-largest aviation market, as per the World Air Transport Statistics report by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

China is closing in on the United States, ranking second with 741 million air passengers in 2024 and showing a strong annual growth of 18.7 percent, compared to America's 5.2 percent.

ALSO READ: Schengen visa to go fully digital: No more lengthy paperwork & traditional visa stickers

The United Kingdom, despite being just 94,000 square miles in size, ranks third globally in aviation with 261 million passengers in 2024. Spain follows in fourth place with 241 million passengers last year, thanks in large part to its status as a top vacation destination for many travelers, including those from the UK.

The IATA report also revealed that nine out of 10 of the world’s busiest flight routes are in the Asia-Pacific region. However, the world’s No.1 is a South Korean domestic flight: the 1 hour and 15 minute trip between the island resort city of Jeju (CJU) and the capital, Seoul (GMP). More than 13 million passengers flew the route in 2024.

ALSO READ: Schengen visa issued? Check these details to avoid issues

Meanwhile, the busiest air route in North America is the well-known New York (JFK) to Los Angeles (LAX) connection, with 2.2 million passengers flying between the two cities last year.

World’s most used aircraft
Despite the troubled history of the Boeing 737 Max, the Boeing 737 family (all versions) continues to be the most widely used aircraft globally, with 10 million flights scheduled in 2024.

ALSO READ: Why applying for a Schengen visa is 'humiliating' for Indians

The No. 2 and No. 3 planes are also narrowbody aircraft, made by Boeing’s European rival Airbus. The A320 flew 7.9 million flights and the A321 flew 3.4 million.