Air traffic

"In 2023, there were approximately 8.7 billion global air passengers, which was 95% of 2019 levels. Projections for 2024 estimated 10.4% demand growth and reaching 8.35 billion passengers"

In 2024, global passenger traffic is expected to surpass pre-pandemic levels, reaching 9.5 billion passengers(104% of 2019 levels). Revenue Passenger Kilometers (RPK) are expected to reach 8.8 trillion (101% of 2019 levels).

• Some numbers put 2025 at 10 billion pax across 35 million flights. 
• (1138 airlines with a fleet of ~29k commecial airplanes in service)
• 61.4 million tonnes of cargo was moved through air in 2023 (Less than 1% of volume global shipments but high in value)
• 4072 airports in the world with scheduled commercial flights. (Many more airports though)

At any given moment, there are approximately 15,000 to 20,000 airplanes in the sky worldwide. These aircraft include commercial passenger and cargo planes, as well as private and military jets, forming an invisible global network of air traffic. (5,500 in the US sky at peak times per FAA)

And the estimates

"Between 2024 and 2043, global passenger traffic is projected to grow at a CAGR of 3.4%, reaching 17.7 billion passengers. By 2053, global passenger traffic is expected to nearly double, reaching 22.3 billion, reflecting a CAGR of 3% from 2024 to 2053."

For international travel only, following fact sheet. 38 million flights, across ~5billion passengers.

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Another way to look at the stats (per OAG)

• Global capacity reached 555.2M seats in August, up 2.6% YoY, with growth strongest in Central Asia and Southern Africa. (~10 billion annual pax)
• The average number of commercial flights per day is 104,727. (~35 million++ for the year)
• In August 2025 there are 725 airlines operating worldwide.
• There are currently 3,939 airports in operation.

As to a sense of domestic markets:

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Top 10 airlines by revenue (to be checked for latest numbers)

1.Delta Air Lines: $54.67bn (5400 flights daily)

2.  American Airlines Group: $52.79bn

3. United Airlines Holdings: $48.82bn

4. Lufthansa Group: $35.8bn

5. The Emirates Group: $32.62bn (STATE owned); Emirates, which employs 102,379 staff, recorded profits of $3bn in 2023, with an annual revenue of $32.62bn.

6. 6. Air France–KLM: $32.52bn

7. International Airlines Group: $31.94bn

8. Southwest Airlines: $26.09bn

9. Turkish Airlines: $19.68bn

10. China Southern Airlines: $12.92bn