Aerospace spans manufacturing, commercial aviation, defense, air traffic operations and aircraft services. The figures below separate observed results, estimates and forecasts, while keeping each population, geography and measurement period explicit.
Key Aerospace Industry Statistics
The following figures summarize the most broadly useful measures:
- In 2023, 2.211 million people worked in the U.S. aerospace and defense industry, equal to 1.4% of national employment.
- In 2023, U.S. aerospace and defense sales exceeded $955 billion, increasing 7.1% from 2022.
- In 2023, U.S. aerospace and defense compensation totaled $257 billion.
- In 2024, scheduled airlines carried 4.7 billion passengers worldwide, 7.9% more than in 2023.
- In 2024, global scheduled passenger traffic reached 9,098 billion revenue passenger-kilometres, up 10.6%.
- In 2024, scheduled departures reached 37.4 million globally, up 5.1% year over year.
- In 2024, global scheduled passenger load factor was 83.2% after capacity grew 9.1%.
- In 2024, scheduled freight totaled 60.8 million tonnes worldwide.
- From 2024 through 2043, Boeing forecasts 43,975 new commercial-airplane deliveries worldwide.
- From 2024 through 2043, Boeing forecasts commercial-fleet growth of 3.2% annually.
- From 2024 through 2043, Boeing forecasts $4.4 trillion in commercial aviation services demand.
- From 2024 through 2043, Airbus forecasts more than 42,000 new aircraft deliveries within its commercial-aviation scope.
- In 2025 and 2045, FAA forecasts U.S. scheduled commercial-carrier enplanements of 1,010 million and 1,667 million, respectively.
- From 2025 to 2045, FAA forecasts total scheduled U.S. commercial-carrier enplanements to grow 2.8% annually.
- In 2045, FAA forecasts 130,786 million gallons of combined U.S. civil-aviation jet fuel and aviation gasoline consumption in the reported series.
- In 2043, Airbus forecasts 11,160 aircraft in service in China.
- From 2024 through 2043, Airbus forecasts 9,520 new aircraft deliveries to China, equal to 20% of global demand.
- Through 2042, Airbus forecasts North American passenger traffic growth of 2.1% annually.
Contents
- U.S. aerospace industry scale, jobs and trade
- Global aerospace traffic, passengers and cargo
- Commercial aircraft deliveries and services forecasts
- U.S. airline capacity and load-factor trends
- General aviation, air traffic operations and fuel
- Regional aerospace services and emerging entrants
U.S. Aerospace Industry Scale, Jobs and Trade
The Aerospace Industries Association and S&P Global measure a combined U.S. aerospace and defense industry. That definition is broader than the civil-aviation measures used in later sections.
- The industry employed 2.211 million people in 2023, or 1.4% of U.S. national employment.
- U.S. aerospace and defense sales exceeded $955 billion in 2023, up 7.1% from 2022.
- Compensation totaled $257 billion in 2023.
- About 1,298,036 jobs were directly linked to the U.S. aerospace and defense supply chain in 2023, nearly 60% of industry employment. This is an estimate with an approximate share and modeled supply-chain linkage.
- Each $1 million in end-use aerospace and defense sales supported four jobs across end-use manufacturing and the supply chain in 2023. This is an economic-impact multiplier, not a direct headcount observation.
Among direct A&D employment in 2023, defense and national security represented 54%, while commercial aerospace represented 43%. These shares do not sum to 100% because other subsectors are omitted here, and the classification combines aerospace with defense.
The U.S. aeronautics and aircraft subsector directly supported almost 468,000 workers in 2023. Source: 2024 Facts & Figures: American Aerospace and Defense Remains an Economic Powerhouse.
Global Aerospace Traffic, Passenger and Cargo Statistics
ICAO’s 2024 results are preliminary and had 99.0% global reporting coverage. Passenger counts refer to scheduled services, while RPK weights passenger traffic by distance rather than counting unique travelers.
| Global scheduled measure | 2024 result | Change or definition |
|---|---|---|
| Passengers | 4.7 billion | 7.9% above 2023 |
| Departures | 37.4 million | 5.1% above 2023 |
| Passenger traffic | 9,098 billion RPK | 10.6% above 2023 |
| Capacity | — | 9.1% increase in ASK |
| Passenger load factor | 83.2% | RPK divided by ASK |
| Scheduled freight | 60.8 million tonnes | Global scheduled reporting |
International scheduled passenger traffic rose 13.8% to 5,575 billion RPK in 2024, while domestic scheduled passenger traffic increased 5.0%. Regional shares and growth were:
- Asia-Pacific held 33.7% of world scheduled passenger traffic and grew 16.7% in 2024.
- Europe held 26.2% and grew 8.9% in 2024.
- North America held 22.6% and grew 4.9% in 2024.
Regional load factors also differed. Africa recorded 71.1% in 2024, Europe recorded 85.4%, and North America recorded 84.1%.
Regional shares use RPK and may not sum exactly because of rounding.
Source: Annual Report 2024 – The World of Air Transport in 2024.
Commercial Aircraft Deliveries, Fleet Growth and Services Forecasts
Boeing and Airbus provide company forecasts, so their figures describe expected demand rather than observed order totals. Their scopes also differ, making delivery estimates directional comparisons rather than a single combined market total.
Boeing forecasts 43,975 new commercial airplanes from 2024 through 2043. The forecast mix is:
| Boeing forecast category, 2024–2043 | Deliveries |
|---|---|
| Single-aisle | 33,380 |
| Widebody | 8,065 |
| Regional jet | 1,525 |
| Freighter | 1,005 |
Boeing projects global commercial-fleet growth of 3.2% annually through 2043, with single-aisle aircraft making up 71% of the 2043 fleet. It also forecasts air-cargo traffic growth of 4.1% annually and a two-thirds increase in the air-cargo fleet over the 20-year period.
Its regional passenger-traffic forecasts are 7.4% annual growth for South Asia, 7.2% for Southeast Asia and 6.4% for Africa. Boeing forecasts $4.4 trillion in commercial aviation services demand through 2043, including maintenance, modifications and digital solutions, and estimates nearly 2.4 million new personnel and associated training will be needed.
Airbus estimates 5 billion people will fly in 2024, while estimating the commercial aviation services market at $150 billion. Within its Global Services Forecast scope—passenger aircraft with at least 100 seats and freighters over 10 tonnes payload—it forecasts a $290 billion services market by 2043 at a 3.5% CAGR.
Airbus also forecasts more than 42,000 new aircraft deliveries through 2043, including 18,460 replacements for older aircraft, and cumulative demand for 2.3 million new aerospace-services workers. Sources: 2024 Commercial Market Outlook 2024–2043 and Global Services Forecast (GSF) 2024–2043.
U.S. Airline Capacity, Traffic and Load-Factor Trends
FAA forecasts cover U.S. mainline and regional carriers and use enplanements, which count boardings rather than unique passengers. RPM measures distance-weighted passenger traffic; ASM measures available seat capacity.
| FAA U.S. scheduled commercial-carrier forecast | 2025 | 2045 |
|---|---|---|
| Enplanements | 1,010 million | 1,667 million |
| Revenue passenger miles | 1,192 billion RPM | 2,051 billion RPM |
| Enplanement growth | — | 2.8% annually, 2025–2045 |
FAA estimates 981 million enplanements in 2024. For U.S. mainline carriers, it forecasts capacity of 1,516 billion ASMs in 2030 and 2,260 billion in 2045, with traffic of 1,293 billion RPM in 2030 and 1,942 billion in 2045.
The mainline system load factor is forecast at 85.3% in 2030 and 85.9% in 2045. In 2045, domestic mainline load factor is forecast at 87.1%, compared with 83.5% for international mainline service.
Source: FAA Aerospace Forecast Fiscal Years 2025–2045. These are FAA baseline forecasts and estimates, not guaranteed outcomes.
General Aviation, Air Traffic Operations and Fuel Statistics
TRACON operations measure air-traffic-control activity at terminal radar approach control facilities, not flights alone. FAA’s figures distinguish air carriers, general aviation and military activity.
| U.S. TRACON operations, thousand | 2024 estimate | 2025 forecast | 2045 forecast |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 39,256 | 40,371 | 52,815 |
| Air carrier | — | 17,308 | 25,960 |
| General aviation | — | 11,413 | 12,660 |
| Military | — | 1,630 | 1,630 |
FAA forecasts total U.S. civil-aviation fuel consumption to grow annually from 2025 to 2045 by 2.7% for jet fuel and 2.8% for aviation gasoline. The series are separate fuel measures, not a single total-energy measure.
In 2045, FAA forecasts 130,786 million gallons combined across the reported jet-fuel and aviation-gasoline series. The carrier jet-fuel series accounts for 127,319 million gallons, while general-aviation aviation gasoline accounts for 3,467 million gallons.
Source: FAA Aerospace Forecast Fiscal Years 2025–2045.
Regional Aerospace Services and Emerging Market Data
The final measures describe regional commercial aviation services and traffic rather than a UAS-only market size. Airbus’s regional forecasts use its own Global Services Forecast definitions.
China’s aviation-services market is forecast to grow from $23 billion in 2024 to $61 billion in 2043. Airbus estimates the market grew from $18.6 billion in 2023 to $23 billion in 2024, a 24% increase, and estimates 700 million travelers in China during 2024; traveler counts may include repeat trips.
Airbus forecasts 11,160 aircraft in service in China by 2043 and 9,520 new aircraft deliveries to China through 2043, equal to 20% of global demand. More than 26% of those forecast deliveries are intended to replace the current fleet.
North American services provide another regional benchmark. Airbus forecasts commercial-aircraft services to rise from $31 billion to $45 billion by 2042, a 45% increase, while forecasting North American passenger traffic growth of 2.1% CAGR through 2042.
It also forecasts North American maintenance services to grow from $25.9 billion to $37.8 billion over the next 20 years. The starting point is described as “today” in the source rather than as one single calendar-year observation.
Sources: China aviation services market is expected to be the largest by 2043 and Airbus releases its commercial aircraft services 2042 forecast for North America.