Kazakhstan has taken off.
Passenger traffic in the country surged by 40% in 2025, reaching 18.1 million. It was one of the strongest growth rates recorded across the global aviation industry, DKNews.kz reports.
The figures were published by the International Air Transport Association in the latest edition of its World Air Transport Statistics report. IATA released the study on July 20, 2026.
Kazakhstan Outpaced Most Aviation Markets
“Several Central Asian countries ranked among the world’s fastest-growing passenger markets.”
Kazakhstan’s growth significantly exceeded that of other rapidly expanding markets. Passenger traffic in Uzbekistan increased by 16.9% to 12.5 million.
Vietnam recorded 80.9 million passengers, up 14.8% year-on-year. Kazakhstan’s growth rate was around 2.4 times higher than Uzbekistan’s and 2.7 times higher than Vietnam’s.
The 40% increase does not make Kazakhstan one of the world’s largest aviation markets. It does, however, reveal how quickly demand for domestic and international travel is expanding across Central Asia.
For airlines and investors, the figures point to a growing passenger base and new opportunities for route development in the region.
The US Remains No. 1 but Barely Grows
The United States retained its position as the world’s largest passenger market. US airports recorded 890.1 million arriving and departing passengers in 2025.
Growth reached only 1.6% — the lowest rate among the world’s ten largest markets.
China ranked second with 776.1 million passengers. Its aviation market expanded by 4.8% compared with the previous year.
The gap between Kazakhstan and the global aviation giants remains enormous. Yet mature markets are slowing, while Central Asia is entering a period of rapid expansion in passenger numbers and airline networks.
Premium Travel Continues to Climb
The number of international passengers travelling in business or first class reached 109.7 million in 2025. This represented an increase of 4.5% year-on-year.
Premium travellers accounted for 5.5% of all international passengers. Although relatively small in number, this segment generates significantly higher revenue per customer for airlines.
Latin America recorded the fastest premium traffic growth. Passenger numbers climbed by 22.1% to 4 million.
Europe remained the largest premium market in absolute terms, with 39.7 million passengers. North America had the highest premium share at 10.4%, followed by the Middle East at 9.5%.
The World’s Busiest Route Carried 13.3 Million Passengers
The Asia-Pacific region dominated the ranking of the world’s busiest airport pairs.
South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul Gimpo route retained the top position. It carried 13.3 million passengers during the year.
The Jeddah–Riyadh route in Saudi Arabia was the only airport pair in the top ten located outside the Asia-Pacific region.
All ten of the world’s busiest airport pairs served domestic flights. The ranking highlights the enormous role that national markets in densely populated countries play in global aviation.
The Busiest Routes by Region
Cape Town–Johannesburg became Africa’s busiest route, carrying 3.4 million passengers.
In Latin America, the Bogotá–Medellín route led the market with 3.5 million travellers.
Barcelona–Palma de Mallorca retained its position as Europe’s busiest route with 2.1 million passengers. Stockholm–Malmö recorded the region’s fastest growth, surging by 85% to 271,031 passengers.
New York–Los Angeles was North America’s busiest domestic route, carrying 2.2 million people. New York JFK–London Heathrow led international services from North America with 2.1 million passengers.
Boeing 737 Remains the Industry Workhorse
Narrow-body aircraft continued to dominate global aviation. The Boeing 737 family completed 10.8 million flights in 2025, up 12% from the previous year.
The Airbus A320 followed with 8.7 million flights, while the Airbus A321 completed 4.2 million.
Airlines are also deploying more modern wide-body aircraft. Boeing 787 flight numbers rose by 40.8% compared with 2019, while Airbus A350 services jumped by 117.4%.
The Airbus A380 continued to lose ground. The world’s largest passenger aircraft operated 24.4% fewer flights than it did in 2019.
The market is increasingly favouring more fuel-efficient and flexible aircraft that airlines can deploy profitably across different routes. This model is particularly relevant for rapidly expanding aviation markets such as Kazakhstan.
What the IATA Report Covers
IATA’s annual statistical database included information from 1,315 airlines. More than 250 international carriers submitted additional data for the WATS report.
The study covers airline demand, capacity and operational performance. It also provides data on the global fleet, busiest routes, industry employment, airline revenue and operating expenses.
