U.S. International Air Passenger and Freight Statistics - December 2024

List of Key Chapter Titles

1. Introduction
2. Data Usage Considerations
3. Summary of December 2024 and Full-Year Data
4. Analysis of Passenger Traffic Trends
5. Analysis of Flight Frequency and Seat Capacity
6. Analysis of Cargo Traffic Trends
7. Passenger Traffic Data by World Region
8. Seat Capacity Data by World Region
9. Flight Frequency Data by World Region
10. Cargo (Tonnage) Data by World Region
11. Top 25 Passenger Gateway Data by Country
12. Top 25 Cargo Gateway Data by Country

Document Introduction

This report is prepared by the Office of Aviation and International Affairs of the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide the public with enhanced access to international aviation data. The report focuses on data for the fourth quarter of 2024 and the full year up to that point, with its core analysis centered on nonstop commercial flight traffic between U.S. airports and international points. The report explicitly states that, although the global air travel system consists of complex and evolving networks and alliances, and most international passengers traveling to/from the U.S. make at least one connection before reaching their final destination, these statistics are limited to nonstop traffic. Consequently, U.S. cities listed as international gateways in the report will show high traffic numbers, and users should note that some of these passengers will continue to their final destinations via connecting flights. Similarly, U.S. airlines may serve certain international destinations only via international connecting points. This may result in the data suggesting that U.S. carriers do not serve certain points or have a low market share in nonstop markets, which does not fully reflect their overall service capability through code-sharing and interline networks.

The data foundation of the report is the "T-100 Segment" reports, submitted monthly by U.S. and foreign airlines to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics' Office of Airline Information. This dataset covers all nonstop international flight traffic to and from U.S. airports. The report highlights several important data usage limitations, including: data is confidential for six months after the reporting date; prior to October 1, 2002, carriers operating aircraft with 60 seats or fewer were not required to submit T-100 data, potentially leading to an undercount of passenger traffic in specific markets (e.g., the Caribbean and some Canadian markets); the data represents only nonstop service and cannot fully reflect services provided by U.S. carriers via connecting points; the widespread use of code-sharing agreements means data is reported by the actual operating carrier, which may underestimate the ticket sales share of U.S. carriers in certain restricted markets (e.g., U.S.-China routes). Cargo data is similarly affected by network and code-sharing arrangements.

The report employs a top-down data presentation structure. It begins with an overall summary of U.S. international passengers, capacity, and cargo. Subsequently, the data is segmented by world region and country, providing detailed data on the top 25 foreign country gateways (by passengers, seats, cargo), top 40 U.S. passenger gateways, top 40 international passenger gateways, and top 50 U.S.-international airport pairs. This data provides a solid quantitative basis for analyzing U.S. connectivity within the global aviation network, its primary trade and travel partners, and the competitive landscape between U.S. and foreign carriers.

Key annual data shows that in the 12 months ending December 2024, the number of available seats to/from the U.S. was 312.7 million, an 8% increase compared to the previous 12 months. The seat share of U.S. carriers decreased by 1 percentage point to 51%, but they operated 57% of the flights. During this period, U.S. and foreign carriers transported a total of 256.9 million passengers, an 8% year-over-year increase, with U.S. carriers holding a 51% market share. In the same period, air cargo volume reached 12.52 million tons, a 6% increase year-over-year, with a 47% share for U.S. carriers. Charter services accounted for 21% of international cargo.

Regional trend analysis indicates that Europe is the largest international regional gateway for the U.S., transporting 74.1 million passengers for the year, followed by Central America (57.2 million) and Canada (31.2 million). By country, the top five passenger gateways are Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Dominican Republic. In terms of cargo, the Far East is the largest gateway, accounting for 42% of total U.S. international cargo tonnage. The top five cargo country gateways are China, South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, and Germany. The report also details rankings and load factors for major domestic and international hub airports in the U.S., revealing the distribution of network nodes and operational efficiency.

This report provides policymakers, industry analysts, airline strategic planning departments, and academic researchers with authoritative, granular data on U.S. international air transportation activity. By understanding the patterns and limitations of this nonstop traffic, users can more accurately assess competition in specific route markets, identify growth areas, and provide data support for the formulation of aviation policies, infrastructure investments, and business strategies. All data is available on the designated DOT website, accompanied by links to download the broader international T-100 dataset.