What Has Been The Busiest Day For Air Travel Each Year For The Last Decade?

Every year, there is a day when the entire world seems to be on the move. In 2024, that day was Friday, August 2, when the highest number of people traveled by air. This article will examine the busiest days for air travel over the past decade using data from the aviation analytics company OAG. In a recent report, OAG analyzed the busiest travel day of each year over the past ten years. Here’s what they found.

The ultimate travel month: August

The OAG analysis shows that August consistently stands out as the ultimate travel month. Nearly all of the busiest days for air travel each year have fallen in July or August. This year, August 2 was a day when the highest number of people traveled by air. According to the report, 17,987,792 airline seats were scheduled for that day.

Now, looking at the past decade, a day in August has been the busiest for air travel in at least seven of those years. Notably, Friday has consistently been the most popular day for air travel. This is no surprise, as it falls right before the weekend.

Below, find a list of the busiest air travel days of the past decade:

• 2024: August 2, Friday
• 2023: August 11, Friday
• 2022: August 12, Friday
• 2021: December 17, Friday
• 2020: January 3, Friday
• 2019: August 9, Friday
• 2018: July 27, Friday
• 2017: August 11, Friday
• 2016: August 5, Friday
• 2015: July 31, Friday
• 2014: August 1, Friday

Looking more closely at these days, we can see a clear pattern: all the busiest air travel days in August occur in the first half of the month.

The report indicates that Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport (ATL) in the United States consistently ranks as the top busiest airport, which is also evident on the busiest days for air travel. In terms of seat capacity, Southwest Airlines has consistently ranked among the top two airlines on the busiest travel days, occasionally trading the top spot with Delta Air Lines over the past decade.

Over the years, American Airlines , Delta Air Lines, and United Airlines have alternated as the leading airlines by available seat kilometers (ASKs) on the busiest days for air travel, with Delta holding the top position for seven of those years.

Exceptional pandemic years

However, exceptions occurred in 2020 and 2021, when the global COVID-19 pandemic led to travel restrictions and a significant decrease in flight capacity. In 2020, January 3 was the busiest day for air travel, while in 2021, December 17 ranked as the busiest.

Photo: Mirko Kuzmanovic | Shutterstock

January 3, 2020, was the last Friday before news of the COVID-19 virus began to spread globally. Soon after, countries around the world started closing their borders and implementing strict travel restrictions, drastically reducing flight capacity.

Interestingly, Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) in China was the busiest airport for seats on January 3, 2020.

Air travel only began to recover in the second half of 2021, thanks to widespread vaccination efforts. December 17, the Friday before the start of the Christmas holidays, became the busiest day of 2021.