International airline activity
- Time series data
- Monthly Reports and Data
- International airlines operated flights and seats
- Annual publications
Summary
Sixty-two international airlines operated scheduled services to/from Australia during the month (includes three dedicated freight airlines but excludes airlines operating only via code share arrangements).
International scheduled passenger traffic in January 2026 was 4.620 million compared to 4.372 million in January 2025 – an increase of 5.7%. This is the third time that passenger traffic has exceeded its pre-pandemic record high of 4.154 million passengers in January 2020 (the first was January 2025 with 4.372 million and the second was December 2025 with 4.428 million).
Passenger traffic for the year ended January 2026 was 45.097 million which is a 7.6% increase over the figure for the year ended January 2025 (41.921 million).
Total seats made available on international scheduled operations to/from Australia during January 2026 were 5.610 million – an increase of 7.9% compared to January 2025. The overall seat utilisation percentage was 83.8% in January 2026. It was 85.8% in January 2025 and 81.5% in January 2024.
Summary of year on year activity
| Year ended January 2025 | Year ended January 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total passenger movements (million) | 41.921 | 45.097 | 7.6% |
Summary of month on month activity
| January 2025 | January 2026 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Passengers carried (million) | 4.372 | 4.620 | 5.7% |
| Freight (tonnes) | 93 590 | 89 151 | -4.7% |
| Mail (tonnes) | 2 021 | 1 949 | -3.6% |
| Available Seats (million) | 5.199 | 5.610 | 7.9% |
| Flights | 19 960 | 21 664 | 8.5% |
| Aircraft Movements | 20 458 | 22 082 | 7.9% |