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Printed in Canada Montreal—Geneva SUMMARYOFPASSENGER AND CARGOTRAFFIC Passenger and cargo traffic PASSENGER LOAD FACTOR 65.1% Revenue Passenger-Kilometres (millions): 2,986,993 Available Seat-Kilometres (millions): 4,589,378 World scheduled passenger and cargo traffic by region of airline domicile – Revenue Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Africa 2.1% Asia Pacific 35.0% Europe 23.7% Latin America 4.3% Middle East 10.0% North America 25.0% CARGO LOAD FACTOR 53.8% Share of Revenue Passenger- Kilometres by Airline Type Cargo Tonne-Kilometres (millions): 231,342 Available Cargo Tonne-Kilometres (millions): 430,016 Traditional/Legacy 72% Low cost 25% Leisure 2% IN THIS VERSION OF WATS 2021 TOP AIRLINES BY RPK AND CTK Top 10 Passenger (Revenue Passenger-Kilometres (millions) American Airlines China Southern Airlines Delta Air Lines United Airlines China Eastern Airlines Southwest Airlines* Emirates Air China Ryanair* Qatar Airways * Airline has additional notes, please refer to Ranking Table 4.1 123,997 110,650 106,488 100,188 88,728 87,263 78,746 71,417 64,928 57,171 OPERATING AND NETRESULTS (US$ millions) 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020* *Preliminary 25,300 10,700 35,450 13,802 61,962 35,971 60,144 34,191 56,600 37,600 45,947 27,250 43,159 26,366 -105,000 -126,400 Operating Result Net Result Top 10 Cargo (Cargo Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Federal Express United Parcel Service Qatar Airways Emirates Cathay Pacific Airways Korean Air Cargolux Turkish Airlines China Southern Airlines China Airlines 19,656 14,371 13,740 9,569 8,137 8,104 7,345 6,977 6,591 6,317 TRAFFIC BYROUTE AREA Percentage of international scheduled Revenue Passenger-Kilometres North America 5.7% 8.9% Europe 21.1% 1.3% 4.6% 3.8% 2.0% 0.3% Central America 2.3% Caribbean 0.7% 4.3% 8.4% 5.5% 0.4% Asia 8.5% 7.6% Middle East 1.6% 2.7% 0.7% Africa 3.0% South America 5.7% 1.3% Southwest Pacific TRAFFIC BYROUTE AREA Percentage of international scheduled Cargo Tonnes-Kilometres North America 26.9% 12 . 0 % Europe 2.3% 0.6% 0.7% 0.9% 2.3% 0.0% Central America 1.8% Caribbean 0.1% 2.1% Asia 20.8% 4.8% 1.1% 7.4% 6.8% Middle East 0.9% 2.9% 0.2% Africa 2.2% South America 26.9% 0.6% Southwest Pacific Industry Economic Analysis Air transport was strongly impacted by COVID-19, with limited passenger traffic, low revenues, and large financial losses, despite resilient outcomes in air cargo. COVID-19 significantly limited air passenger travel in 2020 Air passenger traffic volumes were strongly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Industry-wide revenue passenger-kilometres (RPKs) dropped by 65.9% year-on-year. There were around 1.5bn passenger trips overall during the year. The decline in air passenger transport in 2020 was the largest recorded since global RPKs started being tracked around 1950. Since 1990, the long-run industry average growth rate had been around 5¼–5½% per year. The pandemic also had an important impact on economic activity, with deteriorations in business and consumer confidence, firms’ revenues, employment, and individual living standards among others. Indeed, GDP fell by 3.6% globally, the largest fall in recent history. But the decline in RPKs was much larger than that of GDP, due to strict control measures placed on air travel, in particular internationally. Chart 1: RPK versus world GDP growth Industry RPKs growth % year-on-year 20 10 0 -10 -20 World GDP growth % year-on-year 6 3 0 -3 -6 -30 -9 -40 -12 -50 -15 -60 -18 -70 -21 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 Industry RPKs World GDP Source: IATA, IMF WATS 2021 1 World Air Transport Statistics China domestic became the largest domestic air travel market globally... The COVID-19 crisis has led to domestic aviation markets being more resilient than international ones, as control measures are typically less stringent within a country. In consequence, global domestic RPKs dropped by 48.7% year-onyear in 2020, while this was a 75.6% fall for international RPKs. The market share of global domestic RPKs also grew from 36% of industry-wide RPKs in 2019 to 54% in 2020. There has however been a variety of outcomes among the main domestic markets worldwide. Several countries, notably in Asia, were able to limit the spread of COVID-19, allowing a cautious reopening of air transport domestically, despite some volatility linked to new outbreaks. This was for example the case of Vietnam – the most resilient large domestic market in 2020 – South Korea, China and New Zealand. This means the large domestic China market flew close to 20% of global RPKs in 2020, a significant rise from around 10% in 2019. Some other markets kept domestic travel mostly open despite experiencing more COVID-19 cases. This was the case of Russia, Iran and Mexico among others. In some cases, demand was supported by lower air fares and government campaigns for tourism “at home”. The US domestic market was impacted by several strong waves of COVID throughout the year, as well as travel restrictions to a degree, and RPKs were down 59.5% compared to 2019. This has allowed domestic China to become the largest domestic air travel market for the first time since data collection started. Chart 2: Most resilient large domestic markets in share of 2020 Source: IATA DDS WATS 2021 2 Industry Economic Analysis ...and several short-haul international markets saw some traffic as well While traffic remained muted on most international markets, a few of them, such as Within Europe or certain routes to Central America, showed signs of a recovery. This was limited to short-haul routes on relatively well integrated areas however, as governments could more easily coordinate and because travellers felt more confident. Among the large routes, Within Europe and North America – Central America were the most resilient routes, but even on those routes, traffic was down respectively 70.7% and 60.4% in 2020 compared to 2019. On both routes, travel picked up during periods when new COVID-19 infections were stable, before deteriorating again as new outbreaks started. This illustrates both the importance of reaching widespread vaccination to enable a restart, and the strong willingness to travel from individuals, in particular to leisure destinations. International routes on which air travel did not significantly pick up include some of the largest pre-crisis markets, such as Within Asia (84.1% lower than in 2019) and Transatlantic (down 80.4% year-on-year). Low traffic volumes within Asia highlights that even countries such as China or Australia – where the pandemic has mostly been controlled – cannot restart international flights if neighbours or key partner markets have not been able to limit new COVID cases. The risk aversion of governments towards importing new variants of the virus also plays a crucial role. Chart 3: Largest international RPK markets, 2020 Source: IATA WATS 2021 3 World Air Transport Statistics Travel restrictions were a key driver of differences across markets The key drivers of air travel in 2020 have been those related to pandemic developments. The number of new infections, testing regimes, travel bubbles and border openness have explained which markets performed strongly or poorly, with the pace of vaccination also playing a crucial role starting from the end of 2020. A large part of this information is summarized by international travel stringency indices. Indeed, for markets that were open, willingness to travel has often remained resilient, except for business trips. In Africa and the Middle East – as well as to a lesser degree in North and Latin America – travel constraints were less strict than elsewhere during the second half of the year, as governments there were less risk averse. This led to more resilient traffic volumes in those regions. In Asia Pacific, COVID control measures have often remained stringent throughout the year, as governments did not want to create new outbreaks after broadly succeeding in putting the pandemic under control in their countries. International markets in Asia Pacific have been among the most impacted by the crisis, despite robust outcomes in some domestic markets. Chart 4: Government-imposed travel restrictions by regions Source: IATA, Oxford University WATS 2021 4 Industry Economic Analysis The initial impact of COVID-19 on air cargo was followed by a V-shaped recovery 2019 had already been a weak year for air cargo (volumes down 3.2% year-on-year) – mostly due to global trade wars and a moderate economic slowdown. The COVID-19 pandemic had a strong initial impact on air cargo around March-May, due to supply chain disruptions caused by strict lockdowns, the lack of belly cargo capacity due to the grounded passenger fleet as well as the direct impact of lockdowns on demand. But when widespread lockdowns started being eased around May, fiscal support, e-commerce, and the resulting strength in manufacturing activity allowed demand for air cargo to rapidly recover, staging a V-shaped recovery over the rest of the year. At the end of the year, industry-wide cargo tonne-kilometres (CTKs) had returned close to pre-crisis values. That said, the yearly decline in CTKs was still the largest since the Global Financial Crisis in 2009, at a sizeable 9.1% year-onyear in 2020. This was also worse than the fall in world goods trade (down 5.3%), as air cargo underperformed other means of transport–a typical pattern during economic downturns. This was partly due to a lack of air cargo capacity, which also induced a surge in air cargo fares and revenues, providing a welcome source of cash for the airlines. Chart 5: Air cargo versus global goods trade growth Source: IATA, IMF WATS 2021 5 World Air Transport Statistics ...and the lack of capacity has meant that rates and revenues rose to exceptional levels In 2019, air cargo rates and revenues had fallen due to the impact of global trade wars on the demand for goods. In 2020, the lack of cargo capacity compared to the resilient demand for goods, the congestion at airports and other parts of the supply chains, also combined with the need for rapid e-commerce shipments and transport of personal protective equipment (PPE) put significant pressures on air freight rates. They increased dramatically during the peak of the supply chain disruption from March to May 2020 and moderated somewhat during the middle of the year, before climbing again during the peak cargo season in Q4. As a result, air freight rates were 55.9% higher in 2020 overall compared to 2019, at 2.79$/kg. Combined with the relatively resilient outcome in air cargo volumes (down 9.1% year-on-year in 2020), this means revenues from transporting goods by air rose by 27.2% in 2020. At $128.2bn, this is a new all-time high. This far from offsets the fall in passenger traffic, but still provides needed support to airlines that were able to operate cargo flights. Chart 6: Air cargo rates and revenues Source: IATA, CargoIS, The Airline Analyst WATS 2021 6 Industry Economic Analysis Passenger traffic was disrupted in all the regions, while cargo performance differed across markets The mixed fortunes of the air passenger and cargo markets at the global level were also reflected in outcomes at the regional level. While passenger market results were dismal everywhere, several regions posted resilient performance in air cargo transport, creating some regional divergences. In 2020, all the main regions of airlines registration recorded passenger volumes between 60% and 75% below 2019 levels. Despite the unprecedented falls, most large domestic markets, and certain short-haul international markets such as Within Europe were more resilient. Regions where those markets are prominent posted better outcomes. This includes Asia Pacific (down 62.0%), supported primly by the Chinese domestic market, in which traffic returned close to pre-crisis trends during a few months. Latin America (down 62.1%) and North America (65.2%) also benefitted from their large domestic markets as well as resilient travel on routes between those two regions. On the contrary, carriers in the Middle East (72.1%) were impacted by the long-haul traffic hub status of airports in the region. There were more regional differences in air cargo performance. Strong fiscal stimulus in the US boosted demand for goods manufactured in Asia, allowing CTKs carried by North American airlines to grow 4.5% year-on-year. This did not benefit Asia Pacific to the same extend, partly because traffic within the region was weak. CTKs in Africa grew by 1.8%, due to the less stringent lockdowns and control measures there. But the decline in traffic was larger elsewhere, in particular in Latin America due to difficult economic conditions and a particularly strong capacity crunch there. Chart 7: Regional passenger and freight demand outcomes Source: IATA WATS 2021 7 World Air Transport Statistics Diverging trends in cargo and passenger load factors in 2020 Air passenger capacity was significantly impacted by the grounding of the aircraft fleets at the start of the crisis, as well as by the uncertainty around the restart of demand, which made it difficult for airlines to schedule the appropriate amount of capacity. Consequently, industry-wide available seat-kilometres (ASKs) dropped 56.7% year-on-year in 2020. As this was less than the fall in RPKs (65.9%), the industry wide passenger load factor decreased by 17.5 percentage points to 65.1%. This is the lowest value since 1993, reversing strong gains prior to the crisis–there had been an all-time high load factor of 82.6% in 2019. The lack of available passenger aircraft meant that air cargo capacity was not sufficient to accommodate the rapid rebound in demand. Indeed, despite airlines increasing freighters capacity and converting passenger aircraft to freighters, industry-wide available cargo tonne-kilometres (ACTKs) fell 21.2% year-on-year in 2020. This led to a capacity crunch, with the industry-wide cargo load factor up 7.1 percentage points to 53.9%. This is the highest value in the IATA series started in 1990. Chart 8: Industry-wide passenger and cargo load factors Source: IATA WATS 2021 8 Industry Economic Analysis The pandemic created a wide gap between breakeven and achieved load factors While airlines were able to reduce a number of costs in 2020–including jet fuel costs, as prices dropped in March and remained low throughout the year–unit costs still increased due to the unprecedented fall in traffic. In turn, the industrywide breakeven load factor rose to 76.3% of available tonne-kilometres (ATKs) in 2020, compared to 66.4% in 2019. Because of the large reduction in demand and the difficulty in efficiently allocating capacity in an uncertain environment, the industry-wide passenger load factor declined significantly in 2020. This was only partly offset by strong gains in the cargo load factor–which trended at the highest levels since at least 1990 in 2020. Consequently, the achieved weight load factor tumbled to 59.5% of ATKs, the lowest value in more than 20 years. The upshot is that for the first time since 2008, airlines did not reach financial breakeven. The important gap between breakeven and achieved load factor is one facet of the challenging financial situation of many airlines since the start of the crisis. Chart 9: Breakeven and achieved load factors Source: IATA, The Airline Analyst WATS 2021 9 World Air Transport Statistics The return on capital in the airline industry was significantly impacted by the pandemic With the abrupt fall in passenger demand and grounding of fleets at the outset of the crisis, airlines had to turn to investors and governments in order to avoid bankruptcy. While they were able to raise capital, the lack of a clear rebound in traffic since the pandemic started means that revenues (down 56% compared to 2019) and operating margins (-28% in 2020) were dismal. Indeed, the industry-wide return on invested capital (ROIC) was at -18.3%, the first year of negative returns in the recent past. This comes after five years of elevated returns (5.8% in 2019), highlighting that the industry was adequately rewarding investors prior to the crisis. The cost of capital dropped to 6.1% in 2020, another record-low value for the recent past. Servicing the significant amount of debt contracted to survive the crisis will be a key challenge for airlines in the years to come, and this underlines the importance of rapidly restarting the air travel. Chart 10: Industry return on investment and the cost of capital Source: IATA, Datastream, The Airline Analyst 2020 financial performance was dismal in all the regions, but some did better than others At the global level, operating expenses were higher than revenues, leading to an industry operating (EBIT) margin of -28.2%. Prior to the crisis, it had been trending around 7% in the 2015-2019 period, higher than the historical average of 3-3.5%. The operating margin was negative across all the main regions. The Middle East and Africa were the most resilient regions on that metric, at respectively -18.7% and -19.3%. Airlines based in both regions were able to protect revenues relatively well compared to the overall industry. Airlines based in North America reduced their operating expenses significantly less than elsewhere, although this was partly compensated by better revenues. Carriers in Asia Pacific also cut costs slightly less than most regions. This led to EBIT margins close to the industry total, at -26.8% for Asia Pacific and -30.0% for North America. Europe and Latin America had the most negative operating margins (-30.4% and -32.6%). This was driven by revenues declines of more than 60% compared to 2019, more than the other regions. WATS 2021 10 Industry Economic Analysis Chart 11: Regional profit performance Source: IATA, The Airline Analyst On a per passenger basis, the airline industry is a high-volume, low-margin business in normal circumstances. Over the previous 5 years, net profits per paying passenger averaged close to $8, a strong performance by historical standards. All this was dwarfed by the $71.7 loss incurred per passenger in 2020, corresponding to net losses of $126.4bn in total. This highlights the financial challenges in the years ahead for airlines, when scaling operations up and repaying costly debt. At the regional level, Asia Pacific registered the smallest loss per passenger, at $39.5, primarily driven by the more resilient passenger traffic in that region. Africa was a close second, losing $41.3 per traveller. All the other regions posted significantly larger losses per passenger. This was $66.3 in North America and $66.7 in Europe. In the Middle East, the larger fall in passenger traffic led to a loss of $73.2 per passenger, despite the resilient EBIT margin (-18.7%). Airlines in Latin America faced the highest losses per passenger, at $89.4, driven by large total losses. Chart 12: Airline profitability per passenger Source: IATA, The Airline Analyst WATS 2021 11 World Air Transport Statistics Air connectivity declined by more than half in 2020 and has not recovered... COVID-19 has had a striking impact on international air connectivity globally. The number of routes connecting airports by air fell dramatically at the outset of the crisis and was down more than 60% year-on-year in April 2020. There was a modest improvement over the course of 2020 as international short-haul traffic restarted in some regions, but most of that reverted due to new COVID outbreaks. In March 2021, there were still 50% fewer routes in operation compared to precrisis levels. Moreover, flight frequency on those routes has diminished. There were on average 70% fewer flights per route in April 2020 compared to the same month in 2019. Gains were minor during 2020 and in March 2021, flight frequency was still only around 50% of what it was in March 2019. Airport routes serve as bridges through which ideas, workers and tourists can flow. Restoring air connectivity will therefore be crucial for supporting the economic recovery and livelihood in impacted economies, and for making aviation once more ‘the business of freedom’. Chart 13: International air connectivity during the crisis Source: IATA, SRS Analyzer WATS 2021 12 Industry Economic Analysis …impacting economic growth and living standards through missing tourism and trade Indeed, in 2019, tourists traveling internationally by air spent about $855 billion in the countries they visited. At that time, tourism spend was on a strong upwards trend, growing by 5.4% on average each year since 2000. The fall in traffic and connectivity caused by the pandemic has reduced air tourism spend to $340 billion, its lowest value since 2003. This is particularly damaging for a number of developing countries that are highly dependent on tourism from abroad. The fall in passenger traffic has strongly impacted trade by air, notably due to the lack of capacity. Consequently, air cargo growth underperformed growth in global goods trade in 2020, despite the rapid rebound in manufacturing activity during the second half of the year. The value of goods carried by air–which represents around a third of total trade in value–declined by 10% in 2020, the second consecutive year of deterioration after global trade wars impacted air cargo in 2019. Chart 14: Air tourist spending and the value of trade by air Source: IATA, WTTC, IHS WATS 2021 13 World Air Transport Statistics WATS 2021 14 Section 1—Demand for Air Transport 2020 This section outlines, in summary, traffic and capacity trends of the global air transport industry. The operational statistics are presented for international, domestic, and scheduled operations, worldwide and by region. Traffic flow data by route area is provided in this section, along with passenger traffic by cabin class. IATA's latest forecasts for the industry are presented last. The data presented in the subsections 1.1 to 1.5 are sourced directly from airlines through direct data submission, and extrapolated in order to reflect the entire industry. The data refer to total scheduled traffic, including low–costs, non–IATA member airlines, dedicated cargo carriers, regional carriers, etc. Only non–scheduled (or “charter”) traffic that does not have pre–published schedules is not covered. Airline traffic data are compiled based on on–flight origin–destination counting, which–in the case of passenger traffic–roughly compares to the amount of boarding passes issued. This means that passengers making intermediate connections will be at least counted twice. The equivalent applies to freight and mail data. Passengers, freight and mail are counted by the airline that operates the flight, which operation is identified by a unique call–sign that is used for air traffic control purposes, even though another airline might have sold the ticket or airway bill (for example in the case of code–shared operations). 1.1 World Air Transport Traffic World Scheduled Passenger and Cargo Traffic, 2020 World Scheduled Services Passengers Carried (thousands) Cargo Tonnes Carried (thousands) Revenue Passenger-Kilometres (millions) Available Seat-Kilometres (millions) Passenger Load Factor Cargo Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Available Cargo Tonne Kilometres (millions) Cargo Load Factor Revenue Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Available Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Weight Load Factor International 2020 % Change 476,043 -74.8 37,729 -10.4 1,373,881 -75.5 2,167,755 -68.3 63.4% -18.6 197,407 -11.1 335,488 -22.4 58.8% 7.5 330,715 -56.5 545,045 -50.0 60.7% -9.1 Domestic 2020 % Change 1,331,020 -49.8 19,801 -5.4 1,613,112 -48.8 2,421,623 -35.8 66.6% -16.9 33,935 -0.8 94,528 -17.7 35.9% 6.1 183,359 -43.9 319,516 -31.6 57.4% -12.6 Source: Estimates produced by IATA Statistics. For more information, please visit www.iata.org/statistics Systemwide 2020 % Change 1,807,063 -60.2 57,529 -8.7 2,986,993 -65.9 4,589,378 -56.7 65.1% -17.4 231,342 -9.7 430,016 -21.4 53.8% 7.0 514,074 -52.7 864,561 -44.5 59.5% -10.4 World Scheduled Cargo Traffic, 2020 Scheduled Cargo Traffic Cargo Tonnes Carried (thousands) Cargo Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Available Cargo Tonne Kilometres (millions) Cargo Load Factor All Cargo Operations 2020 % Change 40,054 16.4 159,586 20.4 251,410 20.3 63.5% 0.0 Mixed Operations 2020 % Change 17,475 -39.0 71,756 -42.0 178,606 -47.2 40.2% 3.6 Total 2020 57,529 231,342 430,016 53.8% % Change -8.7 -9.7 -21.4 7.0 Source: Estimates produced by IATA Statistics. For more information, please visit www.iata.org/statistics All–cargo operations refer to traffic carried out by dedicated cargo aircraft, which by design or configuration, are operating exclusively for the transportation of cargo. Mixed operations refer to traffic operated by aircraft that transport both passengers and cargo. WATS 2021 15 World Air Transport Statistics World Scheduled Passenger Traffic by Airline Type, 2020 Passenger Traffic Passengers Carried (thousands) Revenue Passenger-Kilometres (millions) Available Seat-Kilometres (millions) Passenger Load Factor Revenue Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Available Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Weight Load Factor Traditional/Legacy Carriers 2020 % Change 1,200,555 -59.9 2,160,337 -66.6 3,404,892 -57.1 63.4% -18.0 431,298 -49.9 736,145 -41.8 58.6% -9.4 Low Cost Carriers 2020 % Change 583,724 -60.3 757,176 -62.6 1,090,678 -54.0 69.4% -16.1 75,802 -62.3 117,463 -54.2 64.5% -13.8 Leisure Carriers 2020 % Change 22,784 -72.2 69,480 -73.3 93,808 -68.6 74.1% -13.1 6,974 -72.4 10,953 -68.1 63.7% -9.9 Total 2020 % Change 1,807,063 -60.2 2,986,993 -65.9 4,589,378 -56.7 65.1% -17.4 514,074 -52.7 864,561 -44.5 59.5% -10.4 Source: Estimates produced by IATA Statistics. For more information, please visit www.iata.org/statistics The distinction between traditional/legacy, low–costs, and leisure carriers is compiled by IATA following an auto–classification of the airline as based on its marketing strategy. Domestic World Scheduled Passenger and Cargo Traffic, Selected Countries, 2020 Domestic Australia % Number Change Brazil % Number Change China, People's Republic of % Number Change India Japan % Number Change % Number Change Passengers Carried (thousands) Cargo Tonnes Carried (thousands) Revenue Passenger-Kilometres (millions) Available Seat-Kilometres (millions) Passenger Load Factor Cargo Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Available Cargo Tonne Kilometres (millions) Cargo Load Factor Revenue Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Available Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Weight Load Factor 20,712 -66.7 79 -1.2 23,072 -67.9 33,631 -62.3 68.6% -11.8 102 -43.5 562 -60.0 18.1% 5.3 2,259 -67.3 3,704 -62.1 61.0% -9.8 44,989 -52.8 305 -34.8 48,019 -48.4 59,812 -46.8 80.3% -2.6 524 -31.0 1,209 -38.8 43.3% 4.9 5,118 -46.5 6,934 -45.0 73.8% -2.1 408,075 -30.3 4,494 -11.6 586,674 -31.1 819,549 -18.5 71.6% -13.1 6,733 -14.0 20,322 -15.1 33.1% 0.4 58,651 -29.3 92,637 -17.8 63.3% -10.3 62,856 -56.3 462 -35.4 61,739 -55.7 83,059 -48.0 74.3% -12.8 530 -36.3 1,024 -55.8 51.8% 15.9 6,661 -54.4 9,257 -48.9 72.0% -8.7 47,630 -55.0 521 -33.4 41,728 -55.0 80,781 -35.8 51.7% -22.1 580 -31.7 2,443 -45.9 23.7% 4.9 4,018 -52.1 9,441 -37.2 42.6% -13.2 Source: Estimates produced by IATA Statistics. For more information, please visit www.iata.org/statistics Russian Federation % Number Change 54,671 -22.9 234 -0.2 102,216 -21.6 135,805 -13.5 75.3% -7.8 806 2.6 2,947 -10.6 27.4% 3.5 10,349 -20.0 15,668 -12.7 66.1% -6.0 USA % Number Change 339,658 -58.6 11,892 8.2 492,376 -59.5 832,947 -41.6 59.1% -26.0 22,882 11.5 58,722 -8.9 39.0% 7.1 70,008 -48.5 138,662 -31.3 50.5% -16.9 WATS 2021 16 Demand for Air Transport 2020 1.2 World Air Transport Traffic by Region of Airline Domicile The data presented in this table are grouped by geographical region that corresponds to the airline's region of domicile. For example, a Middle Eastern airline will have all its traffic allocated to Middle East, irrespective of where the airline flies. Traffic Growth Rates per Region of Airline Domicile Source: IATA Statistics WATS 2021 17 World Air Transport Statistics Share of Revenue Passenger–Kilometres by Airline Type Source: IATA Statistics Revenue Tonne–Kilometres per Region Scheduled Services Source: IATA Statistics WATS 2021 18 Demand for Air Transport 2020 World Scheduled Passenger and Cargo Traffic by Region of Airline Domicile, 2020 Scheduled Services Africa % Number Change Asia Pacific % Number Change Europe % Number Change Latin America % Number Change Middle East % Number Change INTERNATIONAL Passengers Carried (thousands) Cargo Tonnes Carried (thousands) Revenue Passenger-Kilometres (millions) Available Seat-Kilometres (millions) Passenger Load Factor Cargo Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (millions) Cargo Load Factor Revenue Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Available Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Weight Load Factor DOMESTIC Passengers Carried (thousands) Cargo Tonnes Carried (thousands) Revenue Passenger-Kilometres (millions) Available Seat-Kilometres (millions) Passenger Load Factor Cargo Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (millions) Cargo Load Factor Revenue Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Available Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Weight Load Factor SYSTEMWIDE 17,208 922 -70.9 0.1 48,139 82,710 58.2% 4,418 -70.2 -63.3 -13.5 -1.2 10,259 43.1% 9,488 19,055 49.8% -17.1 6.9 -55.2 -46.6 -9.5 17,086 38 -58.3 -46.7 11,322 16,234 69.7% 18 -57.9 -54.1 -6.2 -70.9 200 9.2% 1,106 1,772 62.4% -57.9 -4.1 -58.1 -54.4 -5.5 86,895 12,183 -82.2 -15.1 325,898 530,835 61.4% 66,204 -80.4 -74.3 -19.3 -14.2 100,867 65.6% 97,311 151,482 64.2% -24.7 8.1 -58.6 -54.0 -7.1 693,808 6,503 -41.5 -19.7 819,676 1,171,582 70.0% 8,738 -39.5 -28.2 -13.1 -19.7 26,716 32.7% 82,377 131,919 62.4% -25.6 2.4 -38.0 -27.8 -10.2 253,601 9,472 -72.5 -12.7 565,998 835,467 67.7% 51,216 -73.3 -66.3 -17.8 -15.8 83,504 61.3% 106,733 164,792 64.8% -28.4 9.2 -60.1 -54.1 -9.7 136,318 435 -50.3 -18.4 150,073 206,349 72.7% 905 -38.2 -30.4 -9.2 -5.6 4,229 21.4% 15,159 23,865 63.5% -21.4 3.6 -37.1 -29.1 -8.1 21,729 1,297 -72.0 -11.5 64,882 88,503 73.3% 4,857 -71.8 -68.2 -9.5 -18.7 8,504 57.1% 11,421 17,449 65.5% -31.1 8.7 -61.2 -57.1 -7.0 101,854 521 -56.9 -36.0 100,979 131,401 76.8% 702 -52.5 -49.2 -5.3 -34.5 2,326 30.2% 10,429 15,009 69.5% -55.7 9.8 -51.3 -50.0 -1.9 51,121 5,611 -73.2 -14.8 207,944 363,162 57.3% 29,742 -72.8 -63.7 -19.0 -9.5 55,843 53.3% 49,463 90,235 54.8% -20.0 6.2 -53.1 -45.2 -9.1 25,712 39 -44.3 -42.9 20,057 31,275 64.1% 36 -44.6 -35.4 -10.6 -42.9 437 8.2% 1,945 3,467 56.1% -42.8 0.0 -44.9 -36.8 -8.3 Passengers Carried (thousands) Cargo Tonnes Carried (thousands) Revenue Passenger-Kilometres (millions) Available Seat-Kilometres (millions) Passenger Load Factor Cargo Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Available Freight Tonne Kilometres (millions) Cargo Load Factor Revenue Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Available Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Weight Load Factor 34,294 960 -65.7 -3.3 59,461 98,944 60.1% 4,436 -68.5 -62.1 -12.2 -2.2 10,459 42.4% 10,593 20,827 50.9% -18.6 7.1 -55.5 -47.3 -9.3 780,703 18,686 -53.4 -16.8 1,145,574 1,702,418 67.3% 74,942 -62.1 -53.9 -14.5 -14.9 127,583 58.7% 179,687 283,401 63.4% -24.9 6.9 -51.1 -44.7 -8.4 389,919 9,907 -67.4 -12.9 716,070 1,041,816 68.7% 52,122 -69.7 -62.5 -16.5 -15.7 87,733 59.4% 121,892 188,657 64.6% -28.1 8.8 -58.2 -51.9 -9.7 123,583 1,818 -60.6 -20.3 165,861 219,904 75.4% 5,559 -62.5 -59.0 -7.1 -21.1 10,830 51.3% 21,850 32,458 67.3% -38.4 11.3 -57.0 -54.1 -4.6 76,833 5,650 -67.6 -15.1 228,001 394,438 57.8% 29,778 -71.5 -62.4 -18.4 -9.6 56,280 52.9% 51,409 93,702 54.9% -20.2 6.2 -52.8 -45.0 -9.1 Source: Estimates produced by IATA Statistics. For more information, please visit www.iata.org/statistics North America % Number Change 45,489 8,244 -70.7 4.0 161,021 267,077 60.3% 40,970 -75.4 -65.8 -23.6 0.5 76,510 53.5% 56,300 102,032 55.2% -12.1 6.7 -44.9 -36.4 -8.5 356,243 12,265 -59.0 8.0 511,005 864,783 59.1% 23,536 -59.9 -42.4 -25.9 11.2 60,620 38.8% 72,344 143,484 50.4% -9.6 7.2 -49.1 -32.0 -16.9 401,732 20,509 -60.8 6.4 672,026 1,131,860 59.4% 64,506 -65.2 -50.4 -25.3 4.2 137,130 47.0% 128,644 245,517 52.4% -11.0 6.8 -47.4 -33.9 -13.4 WATS 2021 19 World Air Transport Statistics World Scheduled Passenger Traffic by Airline Region of Domicile and Airline Type, 2020 Revenue Passenger-Kilometres (millions) Africa Asia/Southwest Pacific Europe Latin America/Caribbean Middle East North America Traditional/Legacy Carriers 2020 % Share 51,548 86.7 897,833 78.4 433,405 60.5 89,178 53.8 209,234 91.8 479,141 71.3 Low Cost Carriers 2020 % Share 7,453 12.5 247,741 21.6 220,816 30.8 76,315 46.0 18,681 8.2 186,170 27.7 Leisure Carriers 2020 % Share 460 0.8 0 0.0 61,850 8.6 369 0.2 86 0.0 6,715 1.0 The distinction between traditional/legacy, low–costs, and leisure carriers is compiled by IATA following an auto–classification of the airline as based on its marketing strategy. Source: Estimates produced by IATA Statistics. For more information, please visit www.iata.org/statistics 1.3 World Air Transport International Traffic by Region The data presented in this table are grouped by geographical region corresponding to all international traffic flown to, from or within the region, irrespective of the airline. As such, all traffic that is not wholly within one of the regions will be included twice. For example, traffic between Africa and Europe is included under Africa as well as under Europe. World Scheduled Passenger and Freight Traffic by Region, 2020 INTERNATIONAL Africa % Number Change Asia Pacific % Number Change Europe % Number Change Latin America % Number Change Middle East % Number Change Revenue Passenger-Kilometres (millions) Available Seat-Kilometres (millions) Passenger Load Factor Cargo Tonne-Kilometres (millions) Available Cargo Tonne Kilometres (millions) Cargo Load Factor Available Tonne-Kilometres (millions) 109,667 183,342 59.8% 9,384 -70.1 -62.0 -16.1 -14.2 19,658 47.7% 40,614 -27.8 7.6 -45.8 499,167 836,787 59.7% 131,035 -79.6 -72.2 -21.5 -6.1 202,790 64.6% 292,757 -15.9 6.7 -44.6 751,513 1,189,206 63.2% 88,157 -74.3 -66.0 -20.5 -16.0 142,713 61.8% 265,844 -29.8 10.1 -50.8 213,225 309,285 68.9% 14,238 -67.8 -60.4 -15.8 -18.8 26,508 53.7% 56,597 -34.9 10.6 -51.0 252,059 431,857 58.4% 31,591 -73.0 -64.5 -18.6 -12.2 59,140 53.4% 104,969 -24.7 7.6 -46.1 Source: Estimates produced by IATA Statistics. For more information, please visit www.iata.org/statistics North America % Number Change 362,945 617,417 58.8% 90,355 -76.1 -66.1 -24.8 -3.8 147,385 61.3% 210,123 -18.1 9.1 -40.8 WATS 2021 20 Demand for Air Transport 2020 1.4 World Air Transport Traffic by Route Area The data presented in this table are grouped by the major route areas. As is the case with the other tables in this section, traffic is counted on an on–flight origin–destination basis. This means that, for example, a passenger traveling from Canada to Singapore via Japan will be included under Far East–North America, as well as under Within Far East. For the definitions of the Regions and Route Areas, please refer to the Glossary section. Revenue Passenger Kms Available Seat Kms PLF Cargo Tonnes Available Cargo Kms Tonne Kms CLF Available Tonne Kms Route Areas % % % % % % % 2020 Change 2020 Change 2020 Change 2020 Change 2020 Change 2020 Change 2020 Change Africa - Europe Africa - Far East Africa - Middle East Central America/Caribbean - South America Europe - Central America/Caribbean Europe - Far East Europe - Middle East Europe - North America Europe - South America Far East - North America Far East - Southwest Pacific Middle East - Far East Middle East - North America North America - Central America/Caribbean North America - South America North/South America - Southwest Pacific Within Central America Within Europe Within Far East Within South America Other/Residual Total International Total Domestic Total Systemwide 59,675 -68.4 5,685 -79.7 22,360 -72.3 10,255 -72.1 52,165 -68.0 115,313 -79.0 75,708 -73.2 122,936 -80.4 31,784 -71.4 78,635 -80.1 40,608 -79.4 104,020 -73.6 28,023 -71.3 63,324 -60.4 36,453 -68.8 17,468 -74.0 3,570 -73.4 290,342 -70.7 117,277 -84.1 9,583 -76.2 88,696 1,373,881 -75.5 1,613,112 -48.8 2,986,993 -65.9 96,348 -58.8 9,508 -73.6 37,811 -66.6 13,515 -69.7 75,351 -59.5 197,269 -70.5 136,946 -64.0 229,358 -69.1 48,115 -62.6 144,582 -69.8 63,433 -73.4 172,412 -65.2 48,243 -60.3 91,976 -52.2 52,663 -61.5 25,744 -68.1 4,900 -71.6 400,968 -65.0 192,763 -79.0 12,716 -74.6 113,134 2,167,755 -68.3 2,421,623 -35.8 4,589,378 -56.7 61.9% -18.8 59.8% -17.7 59.1% -12.2 75.9% -6.7 69.2% -18.4 58.5% -23.6 55.3% -18.8 53.6% -31.2 66.1% -20.3 54.4% -28.1 64.0% -18.7 60.3% -19.3 58.1% -22.3 68.8% -14.3 69.2% -16.4 67.9% -15.3 72.9% -4.9 72.4% -14.2 60.8% -19.5 75.4% -5.1 63.4% -18.6 66.6% -16.9 65.1% -17.4 4,198 -20.6 2,086 9.0 1,700 -31.5 190 -51.9 1,708 -38.1 41,001 -10.6 9,404 -18.1 23,635 -17.7 3,521 -23.6 53,149 7.6 4,333 -30.4 13,476 -7.0 4,571 -8.5 1,297 -7.4 5,762 -10.6 1,259 -28.8 23 -56.2 4,592 -23.1 14,595 -19.6 447 -32.8 6,459 197,407 -11.1 33,935 -0.8 231,342 -9.7 8,221 -31.4 4,025 2.1 3,967 -42.5 458 -61.7 3,794 -44.3 58,235 -17.1 16,595 -30.2 41,279 -36.7 5,302 -39.6 81,089 3.5 7,016 -45.9 26,268 -15.8 7,616 -27.2 3,141 -42.5 10,451 -21.9 2,178 -43.0 98 -72.1 9,024 -43.1 21,401 -40.6 926 -53.9 24,404 335,488 -22.4 94,528 -17.7 430,016 -21.4 51.1% 7.0 51.8% 3.3 42.9% 6.9 41.4% 8.5 45.0% 4.5 70.4% 5.2 56.7% 8.4 57.3% 13.3 66.4% 14.0 65.5% 2.5 61.8% 13.8 51.3% 4.8 60.0% 12.2 41.3% 15.7 55.1% 6.9 57.8% 11.6 23.2% 8.4 50.9% 13.2 68.2% 17.8 48.3% 15.2 58.8% 7.5 35.9% 6.1 53.8% 7.0 18,623 -46.1 5,620 -28.0 7,902 -55.6 1,803 -67.5 11,375 -54.5 80,500 -40.1 30,952 -48.7 65,510 -52.3 10,051 -52.5 96,321 -22.4 13,816 -61.3 45,026 -42.3 12,395 -44.0 11,755 -50.8 15,508 -40.3 4,902 -58.0 573 -71.8 48,148 -61.8 40,909 -66.5 2,171 -67.5 21,184 545,045 -50.0 319,516 -31.6 864,561 -44.5 Source: Estimates produced by IATA Statistics. For more information, please visit www.iata.org/statistics WATS 2021 21 Section 2—Rankings 2020 The rankings section contains a list of the top 200 airlines (passenger traffic) and 100 airlines (freight traffic), together with statistics for major airline alliances. Airlines are ranked in terms of international, domestic and total scheduled passenger numbers, freight tonnes, passenger–kilometres, and freight tonne–kilometres. Top countries, airport–pairs, and airport rankings are also displayed in terms of their passenger or freight traffic. Also included are top 50 airlines ranked by financial results, operating revenue and operating profit. Another ranking included is top 50 airlines ranked by number of employees. In addition, a set of rankings of the top 25 airlines by fleet size is presented. 2.1 Top 25 Airlines: Ranked by Passenger Traffic The data presented in the Passenger Traffic Ranking are sourced directly from airlines, the US Department of Transportation, or estimated by IATA. The data refer to total scheduled traffic, excluding non–scheduled (or “charter”) traffic that does not have pre–established schedules. Airline traffic data are compiled based on on–flight origin–destination counting, which–in the case of passenger traffic–roughly compares to the amount of boarding passes issued. This means that passengers making connections will be at least counted twice. The equivalent applies to freight data. The distinction between domestic and international traffic is determined by the flight stage (a flight from take–off to landing). Passengers or freight on a flight with both an international and a domestic flight stage are included under both domestic and international traffic. Cabotage traffic, i.e. flight stages within a single state flown by a carrier that is not resident of that state, is counted as international traffic. Passenger data refer to the revenue passenger concept. Non–revenue passengers such as airline staff flying on preferential fares are excluded. Infants not occupying a seat are also excluded. Airlines may include “no–shows”, provided that the tickets were non–refundable and non–changeable. Airline data are presented according to the operating carrier, which means that passengers flying on tickets issued by other airlines on code–shared operations are included under the airline that operated the flight. In the event that airline data include traffic of other operators, this occasionally occurs for certain airline groups and/or airlines having subsidiaries, notes will be made. Scheduled Revenue Passenger–Kilometres International Domestic Total Rank Airline Millions Rank Airline Millions Rank Airline 1 Emirates 2 Ryanair(1)(4)(5) 3 Qatar Airways 4 Air France(4) 78,746 1 China Southern Airlines 64,928 2 American Airlines 57,171 3 Southwest Airlines(2) 45,619 4 China Eastern Airlines 100,474 1 American Airlines 94,730 2 China Southern Airlines 85,272 3 Delta Air Lines 78,811 4 United Airlines 5 Turkish Airlines 6 United Airlines 7 British Airways(4) 8 Lufthansa(4) 9 KLM(4) 42,973 5 Delta Air Lines 39,469 6 United Airlines 37,852 7 Air China 36,107 8 IndiGo(1) 33,873 9 Shenzhen Airlines 74,401 5 China Eastern Airlines 60,719 6 Southwest Airlines(2) 60,688 7 Emirates 32,297 8 Air China 31,678 9 Ryanair(1)(4)(5) 10 Delta Air Lines 11 American Airlines 12 easyJet(1)(4) 13 Wizzair(1)(4) 14 Singapore Airlines 15 Air Canada 16 Etihad Airways 17 Cathay Pacific Airways 18 LATAM(4) 19 Korean Air 32,086 10 Xiamen Airlines 29,267 11 Sichuan Airlines(1) 28,564 12 Spirit Airlines(2) 26,772 13 Spring Airlines(1) 21,906 14 Hainan Airlines(1) 20,016 15 Alaska Airlines 19,747 16 Shandong Airlines 18,371 17 LATAM(4) 17,349 18 JetBlue 17,316 19 S7 Airlines 31,145 10 Qatar Airways 30,348 11 Turkish Airlines 28,359 12 Air France(4) 27,870 13 LATAM(4) 27,713 14 British Airways(4) 27,705 15 IndiGo(1) 25,274 16 Lufthansa(4) 24,035 17 Aeroflot Russian Airlines 23,904 18 Sichuan Airlines(1) 21,974 19 KLM(4) 20 Ethiopian Airlines 21 Aeroflot Russian Airlines 16,001 20 Aeroflot Russian Airlines 15,492 21 Skywest Airlines(2) 19,648 20 Xiamen Airlines 18,802 21 Shenzhen Airlines 22 Saudi Arabian Airlines 23 Iberia 24 Thai Airways International 25 Air India(1) 14,328 22 GOL 14,165 23 Juneyao Airlines 13,346 24 Frontier Airlines(2) 12,638 25 Beijing Capital Airlines 17,558 22 JetBlue 17,105 23 Spirit Airlines(2) 16,890 24 Hainan Airlines(1) 16,523 25 Alaska Airlines (1) IATA Estimate (2) US DOT (3) UK CAA (4) Airline has additional notes regarding coverage; please see the Notes section at the end of the Rankings for further information. (5) Passenger data include ‘no-shows’ on non-refundable and non-changeable tickets. Millions 123,997 110,650 106,488 100,188 88,728 87,263 78,746 71,417 64,928 57,171 52,206 48,809 41,385 38,825 38,061 37,503 35,140 34,231 33,873 33,774 32,162 31,137 31,084 30,728 29,840 WATS 2021 22 Rankings 2020 International Rank Airline 1 Ryanair(1)(4)(5) 2 easyJet(1)(4) 3 Wizzair(1)(4) 4 Emirates 5 Turkish Airlines 6 Lufthansa(4) 7 Air France(4) 8 KLM(4) 9 Qatar Airways 10 British Airways(4) 11 American Airlines 12 United Airlines 13 Delta Air Lines 14 Eurowings(4)(5) 15 Transavia(1)(4) 16 Pegasus Airlines 17 SWISS(4) 18 Aeroflot Russian Airlines 19 LATAM(4) 20 Singapore Airlines 21 Etihad Airways 22 Vueling 23 Saudi Arabian Airlines 24 Norwegian(1)(4)(5) 25 Ethiopian Airlines Scheduled Passengers Carried Domestic Total Thousands Rank Airline 51,004 1 Southwest Airlines(2) Thousands Rank Airline 66,600 1 Southwest Airlines(2) 23,841 2 China Southern Airlines 65,454 2 China Southern Airlines 16,519 3 China Eastern Airlines 59,033 3 American Airlines 15,840 4 American Airlines 56,846 4 China Eastern Airlines 13,781 5 Delta Air Lines 13,019 6 Air China 11,809 7 IndiGo(1) 47,739 5 Delta Air Lines 40,727 6 Ryanair(1)(4)(5) 33,329 7 Air China 11,231 8 United Airlines 10,640 9 LATAM(4) 10,440 10 Xiamen Airlines 29,984 8 United Airlines 23,593 9 IndiGo(1) 22,166 10 LATAM(4) 8,900 11 Shenzhen Airlines 7,858 12 Skywest Airlines(2) 7,330 13 Sichuan Airlines(1) 5,310 14 Spring Airlines(1) 5,022 15 Hainan Airlines(1) 4,685 16 Shandong Airlines 4,641 17 Spirit Airlines(2) 4,265 18 GOL 4,163 19 All Nippon Airways(4) 21,469 11 Turkish Airlines 20,244 12 easyJet(1)(4) 19,505 13 Xiamen Airlines 18,542 14 Shenzhen Airlines 18,333 15 Sichuan Airlines(1) 17,980 16 Skywest Airlines(2) 16,828 17 Spring Airlines(1) 15,755 18 Hainan Airlines(1) 15,567 19 Spirit Airlines(2) 4,142 20 Azul Brazilian Airlines 4,141 21 Turkish Airlines 4,015 22 Alaska Airlines 4,009 23 Vietnam Airlines 4,002 24 VietJet Air(1) 14,499 20 Shandong Airlines 13,457 21 All Nippon Airways(4) 13,351 22 Air France(4) 12,153 23 Wizzair(1)(4) 11,883 24 Lufthansa(4) 3,931 25 JetBlue 11,617 25 GOL Thousands 67,785 67,571 65,746 61,050 55,069 51,004 42,570 37,842 35,673 27,755 27,237 26,514 22,725 21,669 20,416 20,316 19,295 18,697 18,311 18,195 17,570 17,022 16,519 16,275 16,272 (1) IATA Estimate (2) US DOT (3) UK CAA (4) Airline has additional notes regarding coverage; please see the Notes section at the end of the Rankings for further information. (5) Passenger data include ‘no-shows’ on non-refundable and non-changeable tickets. WATS 2021 23 Rankings 2020 2.2 Top 25 Airlines: Ranked by Cargo Traffic The data presented in the Cargo and Freight Traffic Ranking are sourced directly from airlines, the US Department of Transportation, or estimated by IATA. The data refer to total scheduled traffic, excluding non–scheduled (or “charter”) traffic that did not have pre–established schedules. Airline traffic data are compiled based on on–flight origin–destination counting. This means that any cargo (in tonnage terms) that makes an intermediate connection will be at least counted twice. Surface transportation (for example trucking) is not included. The distinction between domestic and international traffic is determined by the flight stage (a flight from take–off to landing). Cargo on a flight with both an international and a domestic flight stage are included under both domestic and international traffic. Cabotage traffic, i.e. flight stages within a single state flown by a carrier that is not resident of that state, is counted as international traffic. Cargo data refer to Freight (consignments accompanied by an airway bill and express mail) and traditional Mail. Passenger (excess) luggage is excluded. Cargo and Freight figures are reported in actual tonnage terms, as opposed to chargeable weight. Airline data are presented according to the operating carrier. In the event that airline data include traffic of other operators, this occasionally occurs for certain airline groups and/or airlines having subsidiaries, notes will be made. Scheduled Cargo Tonne–Kilometres International Domestic Total Rank Airline Millions Rank Airline Millions Rank Airline 1 Qatar Airways 13,740 1 Federal Express 9,390 1 Federal Express 2 Federal Express 3 Emirates 4 Cathay Pacific Airways 10,266 2 United Parcel Service 9,569 3 Air Transport International(2)(4) 8,137 4 Atlas Air(4) 7,353 2 United Parcel Service 1,374 3 Qatar Airways 1,084 4 Emirates 5 Korean Air 6 Cargolux 8,091 5 China Southern Airlines 7,345 6 Kalitta Air(2)(4) 996 5 Cathay Pacific Airways 990 6 Korean Air 7 United Parcel Service 7,017 7 SF Airlines 934 7 Cargolux 8 Turkish Airlines 6,958 8 Air China 838 8 Turkish Airlines 9 China Airlines 6,317 9 United Airlines 687 9 China Southern Airlines 10 China Southern Airlines 11 Air China 12 AeroLogic(1) 13 Lufthansa(4) 14 AirBridgeCargo Airlines 15 Atlas Air(4) 16 Kalitta Air(2)(4) 5,595 10 China Eastern Airlines 5,283 11 ABX Air(2) 4,870 12 Shenzhen Airlines 4,827 13 CargoJet 4,609 14 Hainan Airlines(1) 4,374 15 Delta Air Lines 4,221 16 Aeroflot Russian Airlines 679 10 China Airlines 491 11 Air China 469 12 Atlas Air(4) 439 13 Kalitta Air(2)(4) 341 14 AeroLogic(1) 339 15 Lufthansa(4) 304 16 AirBridgeCargo Airlines 17 Singapore Airlines 4,156 17 American Airlines 300 17 Singapore Airlines 18 EVA Air 19 Asiana Airlines 20 Polar Air Cargo(4) 21 Ethiopian Airlines 3,888 18 Xiamen Airlines 3,586 19 Sichuan Airlines(1) 3,438 20 All Nippon Airways(4) 3,393 21 China Postal Airlines 285 18 United Airlines 283 19 EVA Air 283 20 Asiana Airlines 272 21 Polar Air Cargo(4) 22 United Airlines 23 KLM(4) 24 All Nippon Airways(4) 25 Silk Way West Airlines 3,263 22 Shandong Airlines 3,025 23 Japan Airlines 2,890 24 LATAM(4) 2,876 25 IndiGo(1) 257 22 Ethiopian Airlines 254 23 All Nippon Airways(4) 242 24 KLM(4) 200 25 Silk Way West Airlines (1) IATA Estimate (2) US DOT (3) UK CAA (4) Airline has additional notes regarding coverage; please see the Notes section at the end of the Rankings for further information. (5) Passenger data include ‘no-shows’ on non-refundable and non-changeable tickets. Millions 19,656 14,371 13,740 9,569 8,137 8,104 7,345 6,977 6,591 6,317 6,121 5,458 5,211 4,870 4,828 4,609 4,156 3,950 3,888 3,601 3,478 3,394 3,172 3,025 2,876 WATS 2021 24 World Air Transport Statistics Scheduled Freight Tonnes Carried International Domestic Total Rank Airline Thousands Rank Airline Thousands Rank Airline Thousands 1 Federal Express 2,555 1 Federal Express 5,454 1 Federal Express 8,009 2 Qatar Airways 3 Emirates 2,329 2 United Parcel Service 1,814 3 Air Transport International(2)(4) 3,512 2 United Parcel Service 790 3 Qatar Airways 5,064 2,329 4 United Parcel Service 1,552 4 SF Airlines 698 4 Emirates 1,814 5 China Airlines 1,550 5 China Southern Airlines 597 5 China Airlines 1,550 6 Korean Air 7 Turkish Airlines 8 Cathay Pacific Airways 9 Asiana Airlines 10 Cargolux 11 Atlas Air(4) 12 Kalitta Air(2)(4) 1,500 6 Air China 1,421 7 Atlas Air(4) 1,220 8 China Eastern Airlines 880 9 Kalitta Air(2)(4) 858 10 ABX Air(2) 851 11 Hainan Airlines(1) 838 12 Shenzhen Airlines 542 6 Korean Air 514 7 Turkish Airlines 460 8 Atlas Air(4) 452 9 Kalitta Air(2)(4) 350 10 Cathay Pacific Airways 306 11 China Southern Airlines 301 12 Air China 1,530 1,460 1,366 1,290 1,220 1,186 1,178 13 European Air Transport 14 AeroLogic(1) 15 Singapore Airlines 780 13 CargoJet 736 14 Japan Airlines 731 15 All Nippon Airways(4) 270 13 Asiana Airlines 916 239 14 Cargolux 858 234 15 European Air Transport 846 16 EVA Air 17 Polar Air Cargo(4) 18 Air China 19 Ethiopian Airlines 20 Lufthansa(4) 21 China Southern Airlines 22 Silk Way West Airlines 23 All Nippon Airways(4) 24 LATAM(4) 25 Etihad Airways 704 16 Xiamen Airlines 695 17 China Postal Airlines 636 18 Sichuan Airlines(1) 623 19 United Airlines 601 20 IndiGo(1) 589 21 Shandong Airlines 561 22 LATAM(4) 557 23 Amerijet(2) 542 24 Garuda Indonesia 529 25 Southern Air(4) 191 16 SF Airlines 813 185 17 Air Transport International(2)(4) 799 168 18 All Nippon Airways(4) 791 164 19 AeroLogic(1) 736 159 20 Singapore Airlines 731 152 21 Polar Air Cargo(4) 727 139 22 EVA Air 704 134 23 LATAM(4) 681 116 24 Ethiopian Airlines 624 106 25 China Eastern Airlines 619 (1) IATA Estimate (2) US DOT (3) UK CAA (4) Airline has additional notes regarding coverage; please see the Notes section at the end of the Rankings for further information. (5) Passenger data include ‘no-shows’ on non-refundable and non-changeable tickets. WATS 2021 25 World Air Transport Statistics Please refer to the table below for additional explanation for some airlines. Carrier Name Notes: Air Dolomiti Excludes LH-marketed operations Air France Includes Air France-marketed flights operated by HOP! (Airlinair (AN), Brit Air (DB), Aerienne Europeene (YS), VLM Airlines (VG), Cityjet (WX)) Air New Zealand Includes operations of Mount Cook (NZM) and Air Nelson (RLK) Air Transport International All operations considered as scheduled traffic, with exception Military operations Alitalia Includes operations of Air One (AP), Alitalia CityLiner (CT), Alitalia Express (XM), CAI Second (VE) All Nippon Airways Includes operations of ANA Wings (EH), Air Japan (NQ) Atlas All operations considered as scheduled traffic, with exception Military operations Avianca Includes operations of Avianca Costa Rica (LR), Avianca El Salvador (TA), Avianca Ecuador (2K), Avianca Guatemala (GU), Avianca Honduras (WC), Avianca Peru (T0), Regional Express Americas (EX), Tampa Cargo (QT) British Airways Includes operations of BA CityFlyer (CJ), British Airways Shuttle (SHT) CargoLogicAir All operations considered as scheduled traffic DHL Air All operations considered as scheduled traffic easyJet Includes operations of eayJet Europe (EC) and easyjet Switzerland (DS) Eurowings Includes operations of Eurowings Europe (E2) Finnair Includes operations of Nordic Regional (N7) Kalitta All operations considered as scheduled traffic, with exception Military operations KLM Includes operations of KLM CityHopper (WA) LATAM Includes operations of LATAM Colombia (4C), LATAM Argentina (4M), LATAM Brasil (JJ), LATAM Cargo Colombia (L7), LATAM Chile (LA), LATAM Peru (LP), LATAM Express (LU), LATAM Cargo Brasil (M3), LATAM Paraguay (PZ), LATAM Cargo Chile (UC), LATAM Ecuador (XL) Level Includes operations of Anisec Luftfahrt (VK) Lufthansa Includes operations of Lufthansa CityLine (CL) and Lufthansa-marketed operations by Air Dolomiti (EN), Eurowings (EW), Germanwings (4U) Norwegian Includes operations of Norwegian Long-Haul (DU), Norwegian Air International (D8), Norwegian Air Norway (DH), Norwegian Air Sweden (LE), Norwegian Air UK (DI), Norwegian Air Argentina (DN) Philippine Airlines Includes operations of PAL Express (2P) Polar All operations considered as scheduled traffic Qantas Airways Includes operations of Eastern Australia Airlines (EAQ), National Jet Systems (NC/NJS), Network Aviation Australia (NWK), JetConnect (QNZ), Sunstate Airlines (SSQ), and Qantas-marketed operations of Alliance Airlines (QQ) Royal Air Maroc Includes operations of Royal Air Maroc Express (RXP) Ryanair Includes operations of Ryanair UK (RK) Scandinavian Airlines Includes operations of Scandinavian Airlines Ireland (ZSS), Jet Time (JO), Blue 1 (KF), Cimber (QA), and SAS-marketed operations by Braathens Regional (DC), Privatair (PV) Sky Lease Cargo All operations considered as scheduled traffic Southern Air All operations considered as scheduled traffic SWISS Includes operations of Helvetic Airlines (2L), and SWISS-marketed operations by Edelweiss Air (WK) Transavia Airlines Includes operations of Transavia France (TO) TUI Fly All operations considered as scheduled traffic Virgin Australia Includes operations of Virgin Australia Regional Airlines (OZW) and Virgin Australia-marketed operations of Alliance Airlines (QQ) Wizzair Includes operations of Wizzair UK (W9) WATS 2021 26 International Air Transport Association ISBN 978-92-9264-350-8 Customer service: www.iata.org/cs +1 800 716 6326 iata.org/publishing