July 2024 marked a significant milestone for international air travel to and from the United States, as passenger numbers continued to soar beyond pre-pandemic levels. According to data released by the National Travel and Tourism Office (NTTO), U.S.-international air traffic passenger enplanements totaled 26.729 million, representing a 7.3% increase compared to July 2023. This growth brings enplanements to an impressive 105.7% of the volume seen in July 2019, reflecting a robust recovery in global travel.
Growth in Non-U.S. Citizen Arrivals
One of the key highlights of the data is the increase in non-U.S. citizen air passenger arrivals to the United States. In July 2024, 5.518 million foreign passengers arrived, an 8.3% rise from the same period in 2023. Although this figure represents 91.1% of the arrivals seen in July 2019, it underscores the continuing resurgence of international tourism to the U.S. Overseas visitor arrivals also remained strong, with 3.425 million visitors recorded in July 2024. This marks the thirty-third consecutive month that overseas visitor numbers have exceeded one million. Compared to pre-pandemic levels, July overseas visitor arrivals reached 85.6% of July 2019 volumes, showing a steady increase from the 83.3% recorded in June 2024.
U.S. Citizen Departures on the Rise
U.S. citizens are traveling abroad in greater numbers as well. Departures to foreign countries totaled 7.642 million in July 2024, up 6.6% compared to July 2023. Remarkably, this figure exceeds July 2019 volumes by 18.3%, highlighting the strong demand among Americans for international travel.
Regional Air Travel Insights
Breaking down the data by region, Europe continued to be a leading destination, with air travel between the U.S. and Europe totaling 8.495 million passengers in July 2024. This represents a 6.8% increase over July 2023 and a 2.9% rise compared to July 2019. However, it’s worth noting that while U.S. citizen departures to Europe were up by 16.9% compared to July 2019, European citizen arrivals in the U.S. were down by 15%. The South/Central America/Caribbean region also saw significant growth, with 6.410 million passengers traveling to and from the U.S., up 5.9% over July 2023 and a remarkable 15% increase compared to July 2019. In contrast, air travel between the U.S. and Asia showed mixed results. While the total passenger count was 2.701 million in July 2024, up 16.6% over July 2023, it was still down by 21.7% compared to July 2019. Specifically, Asian citizen arrivals in the U.S. were down by 36% compared to July 2019, while U.S. citizen departures to Asia were up slightly by 0.5%.
Leading Airports and Ports
New York’s JFK Airport led the way among U.S. ports serving international locations, handling 3.719 million passengers in July 2024. Other top U.S. airports included Los Angeles (LAX) with 2.401 million passengers, Miami (MIA) with 2.316 million, San Francisco (SFO) with 1.637 million, and Newark (EWR) with 1.612 million. On the other side of the Atlantic, London Heathrow (LHR) was the top foreign airport serving U.S. locations, with 1.804 million passengers. Other leading foreign ports included Toronto (YYZ) with 1.206 million passengers, Cancun (CUN) with 1.138 million, Paris (CDG) with 929,000, and Mexico City (MEX) with 845,000 passengers.
In conclusion, the data from July 2024 paints a picture of a strong recovery in international air travel to and from the United States. With passenger numbers surpassing pre-pandemic levels and showing consistent growth, it is evident that the travel industry is bouncing back from the challenges posed by the global health crisis. As more countries reopen their borders and travel restrictions ease, the outlook for international air travel remains positive, offering hope for a return to normalcy in the tourism sector.
