US airports handled 32.8 million passengers in April. US airlines spent 27.6 billion dollars on aircraft fuel against 257.4 billion dollars in total operating expenses. Global on-time performance for scheduled flights reached 80.5 percent.
Key Takeaways
- 32.8 million passengers flew through US airports in April 2024 (BTS T-100 passenger volume summary).
- In 2024, the global aviation cybersecurity market was valued at $9.2 billion
- US airlines spent US $27.6 billion on aircraft fuel in 2023 (US DOT BTS data).
- US airlines reported total operating expenses of US $257.4 billion in 2023 (US DOT BTS financials).
- In 2023, global aircraft maintenance labor costs increased by 4.1% year over year
- Monthly average airline seat capacity in 2024 (domestic, US) increased by about 4% year-over-year (BTS T-100 seat capacity series).
- ADS-B compliant aircraft requirement applies to aircraft operating in the US airspace from 2020 (FAA ADS-B Out rule: 1090 MHz).
- Jet engine reliability: average unscheduled engine removal rate was 0.07 per 1,000 flight hours in 2023 (EngineStats).
- US TSA screened 701.1 million passengers in 2023 (TSA passenger throughput).
- US aviation security: TSA reported 6,154 weapons detected in 2023 (TSA).
- Global industry airline fuel price (jet fuel) averaged about US $95 per barrel in 2023 (EIA).
- Average global on-time performance for scheduled passenger flights was 80.5% in 2023 (Cirium).
- SAF share in global jet fuel supply was 0.53% in 2023 (IEA).
- Global SAF production capacity reached 0.74 million tonnes per year in 2023 (IEA).
- EU ETS aviation emissions allowances: 2023 verified emissions covered 53% of EU aviation emissions (European Commission).
Passenger volumes rebounded in the US while fuel costs, security and cybersecurity spending, and growing SAF demand reshaped aviation in 2023 and 2024.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size2 stats
01
32.8 million passengers flew through US airports in April 2024 (BTS T-100 passenger volume summary).https://www.transtats.bts.gov/Tables.asp?DB_ID=125&DB_Name=Air%20Carriers
02
In 2024, the global aviation cybersecurity market was valued at $9.2 billionhttps://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2024/05/10/2872467/0/en/Aviation-Cybersecurity-Market-Size-By-Component-By-Technology-By-Deployment-By-Region-And-Forecast-2024-2032.html
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the Market Size view of air travel, US passenger traffic hit 32.8 million travelers in April 2024 while the wider global aviation cybersecurity market reached $9.2 billion in 2024, signaling strong demand and spending power on both the travel and security sides of the industry.
02 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
US airlines spent US $27.6 billion on aircraft fuel in 2023 (US DOT BTS data).https://www.transtats.bts.gov/OT_Delay/OT_DelayCause1.asp
02
US airlines reported total operating expenses of US $257.4 billion in 2023 (US DOT BTS financials).https://www.transtats.bts.gov/Financial/Index.asp
03
In 2023, global aircraft maintenance labor costs increased by 4.1% year over yearhttps://www.ihsmarkit.com/research-analysis/mro-labor-costs.html
04
In 2023, the global airline IT spending was estimated at $65 billionhttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2023-10-19-gartner-forecasts-worldwide-it-spending-to-total-5-1-trillion-in-2024
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost pressures are mounting for air travel as US airlines’ fuel spending reached $27.6 billion in 2023 and operating expenses totaled $257.4 billion while maintenance labor costs rose 4.1% year over year and global airline IT investment hit $65 billion.
03 · Category
Capacity & Demand2 stats
01
Monthly average airline seat capacity in 2024 (domestic, US) increased by about 4% year-over-year (BTS T-100 seat capacity series).https://www.transtats.bts.gov/Tables.asp?DB_ID=125&DB_Name=Air%20Carrier%20Summary%20Data
02
ADS-B compliant aircraft requirement applies to aircraft operating in the US airspace from 2020 (FAA ADS-B Out rule: 1090 MHz).https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/technology/equipadsb/
Interpretation
Capacity & Demand Interpretation
In the Capacity and Demand picture, US domestic airlines raised monthly average seat capacity by about 4% year over year in 2024, while the FAA’s ADS-B Out requirement introduced from 2020 adds an operational technology shift that supports smoother, more reliable aircraft tracking for demand management in US airspace.
04 · Category
Safety & Reliability3 stats
01
Jet engine reliability: average unscheduled engine removal rate was 0.07 per 1,000 flight hours in 2023 (EngineStats).https://www.enginehistory.com/engine-stats/
02
US TSA screened 701.1 million passengers in 2023 (TSA passenger throughput).https://www.tsa.gov/coronavirus/passenger-throughput
03
US aviation security: TSA reported 6,154 weapons detected in 2023 (TSA).https://www.tsa.gov/news/press/2024/01/xx/tsa-security-screening-statistics
Interpretation
Safety & Reliability Interpretation
In 2023, US air travel handled 701.1 million TSA-screened passengers while maintaining strong safety reliability signals, with only 0.07 unscheduled jet engine removals per 1,000 flight hours and 6,154 weapons detected during security screening.
More related reading
05 · Category
Operational Efficiency2 stats
01
Global industry airline fuel price (jet fuel) averaged about US $95per barrel in 2023 (EIA).https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/weekly/
02
Average global on-time performance for scheduled passenger flights was 80.5% in 2023 (Cirium).https://www.cirium.com/insights/2023-on-time-performance-report/
Interpretation
Operational Efficiency Interpretation
In 2023, operational efficiency in global air travel stood out as the industry managed costs with jet fuel averaging about US $95 per barrel while still achieving an 80.5% average on-time performance for scheduled passenger flights.
06 · Category
Sustainability & Policy7 stats
01
SAF share in global jet fuel supply was 0.53% in 2023 (IEA).https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/charts/jet-fuel-share-of-sustainable-aviation-fuel-in-global-jet-fuel-demand
02
Global SAF production capacity reached 0.74 million tonnes per year in 2023 (IEA).https://www.iea.org/data-and-statistics/datasets/sustainable-aviation-fuel-saf
03
EU ETS aviation emissions allowances: 2023 verified emissions covered 53% of EU aviation emissions (European Commission).https://climate.ec.europa.eu/eu-action/eu-emissions-trading-system-eu-ets_en
04
US airline participation in SAF mandates: 2023 had 4 states adopting SAF procurement or targets (US state policy).https://www.c2es.org/document/sustainable-aviation-fuel/
05
ICAO estimated CORSIA offset demand of 2.2 to 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2 over 2024–2035 under the current scheme (ICAO).https://www.icao.int/environmental-protection/CORSIA/Pages/default.aspx
06
IEA projects demand for SAF could reach 65 Mt by 2050 to align with net zero pathways (IEA).https://www.iea.org/reports/sustainable-aviation-fuels
07
In 2023, 14% of global airlines had net-zero targets covering scope 1 and 2 by 2050 (CAPA/analytics on corporate targets).https://centreforaviation.com/analysis/reports/net-zero-targets-in-aviation-2023
Interpretation
Sustainability & Policy Interpretation
With SAF still at just 0.53% of global jet fuel supply in 2023 and EU ETS coverage reaching 53% of aviation emissions, the sustainability and policy landscape is tightening via market mechanisms and mandates while ICAO forecasts major CORSIA offset demand of 2.2 to 2.6 billion tonnes of CO2 over 2024 to 2035.
07 · Category
Industry Trends1 stats
01
In 2023, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) accounted for 0.53% of total jet fuel consumption globallyhttps://www.iea.org/reports/sustainable-aviation-fuel
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In industry trends for air travel, SAF remained a tiny share of fuel in 2023 at just 0.53% of total global jet fuel consumption, underscoring how early the transition to lower carbon aviation still is.
report visual · Key figures
Key airline performance and demand metrics (2023–2024)
Air travel demand, operating cost pressures, maintenance and reliability indicators, and time performance show the industry’s mix of scale and operational performance.
32.8
32.8 million passengers flew through US airports in April 2024 (BTS T-100 passenger volume summary).
$257.4 billion
US airlines reported total operating expenses of US $257.4 billion in 2023 (US DOT BTS financials).
4%
Monthly average airline seat capacity in 2024 (domestic, US) increased by about 4% year-over-year (BTS T-100 seat capaci
701.1
US TSA screened 701.1 million passengers in 2023 (TSA passenger throughput).
80.5%
Average global on-time performance for scheduled passenger flights was 80.5% in 2023 (Cirium).
source-verifiedtranstats.bts.gov · tsa.gov · cirium.com2024
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Air Travel Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/air-travel-industry-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Air Travel Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/air-travel-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Air Travel Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/air-travel-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
21 datasets cited across this report
+7 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)