International premium travel continued to increase in 2025. At the same time, the flight route between Stockholm Arlanda and Malmö was the fastest growing in Europe, according to the latest edition of World Air Transport Statistics (WATS) from the industry organization IATA.
The report is based on statistics from 1,315 airlines worldwide and includes passenger trends, aircraft fleets, route networks and financial key figures.
In 2025, 109.7 million passengers traveled in business or first class on international flights, an increase of 4.5 percent compared to the previous year. Premium travel accounted for 5.5 percent of total international air travel.
Europe remained the largest market for premium travel with 39.7 million passengers, while Latin America accounted for the strongest growth with an increase of 22.1 percent.
Arlanda–Malmö is growing fastest in Europe
IATA statistics also show that the flight route between Stockholm Arlanda and Malmö Airport was the fastest growing air connection in Europe in 2025.
Passenger numbers increased by 85 percent to 271,031 travelers. At the same time, the Barcelona–Palma de Mallorca route maintained its position as Europe's busiest airline with 2.1 million passengers.
Globally, the list of the world's busiest air routes was dominated by domestic connections in Asia. The route between Jeju and Seoul Gimpo in South Korea was the largest with 13.3 million passengers.
USA largest – Central Asia growing fastest
The US remained the world's largest aviation market with 890 million passengers in 2025, followed by China with 776 million.
The fastest growth, however, is found in Central Asia. Kazakhstan increased the number of air travelers by 40 percent to 18.1 million, while Uzbekistan grew by 16.9 percent. Vietnam also reported a strong increase of almost 15 percent.
Boeing 737 remains most common
The Boeing 737 maintained its position as the world's most widely used aircraft type with 10.8 million flights in 2025, followed by the Airbus A320 and Airbus A321.
Meanwhile, newer long-haul aircraft continue to gain ground. The number of Boeing 787 flights increased by 40.8 percent compared to 2019, while the Airbus A350 more than doubled its use during the same period. The Airbus A380, on the other hand, continues to decline, operating 24.4 percent fewer flights than before the pandemic.
Source: breakingtravelnews.com
