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What are the most frequently flown airplanes in the world?? This is what the statistical data of THERE IT IS.
The International Air Transport Association (THERE IT IS) has presented the most recent edition of its World Air Transport Statistics (WATS, for its acronym in English), a report that compiles operational performance, demand and the evolution of the global fleet until the closure of 2025. With data from 1315 airlines, The document offers a detailed x-ray of the industry, where operational efficiency is redefining operators' fleet models.
The most flown airplanes in the world
Analysis of the global fleet in 2025 confirms that single-aisle aircraft (narrowbody) They remain the backbone of commercial aviation, while the widebody segment (widebody) consolidates its transition towards latest generation twin engines.
The family Boeing 737 (including all its variants) It remained the most used model on the planet, recording 10.8 million flights in 2025, which represents an increase in 12% compared to the previous year and a growth of 3.1% compared to pre-pandemic levels of 2019.
For his part, the Airbus A320 took second position with 8.7 million flights. Nevertheless, the true protagonist of growth is the Airbus A321, that reached the 4.2 million flights, marking an impressive increase in 61.6% compared to 2019. This rise reflects airlines' preference for single-aisle aircraft with greater capacity and transcontinental range..
At the opposite end, the Airbus A319 continues its gradual withdrawal from the market, recording a drop in 34.3% in its operations compared to 2019. Much of this space is being capitalized by the Airbus A220, whose operations skyrocketed 770.4%, going from 61 000 flights in 2019 a 530 000 on 2025.
The evolution of the widebody: efficiency over capacity
In the long distance segment, the Boeing 787 led the widebody market with 795 000 flights (+40.8% compared to 2019), followed by him Airbus A350, which doubled its operational activity with a growth of 117.4% to achieve the 434 000 flights. This trend contrasts with the decline of Airbus A380, that operated 90 000 flights in 2025, a 24.4% less than before the pandemic, confirming that the industry prioritizes the flexibility and efficiency of the twin engine over the large capacity four-engine.
Global Fleet Operational Summary 2025
| aircraft type | Flights in 2025 | Flights in 2019 | Variation 2019-2025 |
| Boeing 737 (all variants) | 10.8 millions | 10.5 millions | +3.1% |
| Airbus A320 | 8.7 millions | 8.1 millions | +7.6% |
| Airbus A321 | 4.2 millions | 2.6 millions | +61.6% |
| Embraer ERJ170/190 | 2.7 millions | 2.6 millions | +2.8% |
| Boeing 787 | 795 000 | 564 000 | +40.8% |
| Airbus A220 | 530 000 | 61 000 | +770.4% |
| Airbus A350 | 434 000 | 200 000 | +117.4% |
| Airbus A319 | 1.4 millions | 2.1 millions | -34.3% |
| Airbus A380 | 90 000 | 119 000 | -24.4% |
Other key points from the WATS report 2025
Beyond the most flown airplanes in the world, The report highlights some interesting points about airline industry statistics. 2025:
Premium traffic maintains a solid upward trend
The segment of international passengers in business and first class (premium) totalized 109.7 million travelers, an increase of 4.5% interannual, representing the 5.5% of the total international market.
- Latin America led the percentage growth with a rebound in 22.1%, reaching the 4 million premium passengers.
- Europe consolidated itself as the largest market in absolute volume, with 39.7 million passengers in these categories.
- North America (10.4%) and Middle East (9.5%) recorded the highest proportion of premium travelers compared to their total traffic.
Asia-Pacific dominates the busiest routes
Domestic connections within the Asia-Pacific region once again monopolized the list of airport pairs with the highest mechanical traffic. The route between Jeju International Airport and Seoul Gimpo International Airport (CJU-GMP) repeated as the busiest in the world, with 13.3 million passengers. Of the ten main routes globally, just the connection between Jeddah (JED) the Riad (RUH), in Saudi Arabia, was located outside that region.
At the regional level, The most prominent domestic markets were:
- Latin America: Bogota – Medellin (BOOK MDE) led the region with 3.5 million passengers.
- Africa: Cape Town – Johannesburg (CPT-JNB) record 3.4 million passengers.
- North America: New York – The Angels (JFK-LAX) It was the leading national route with 2.2 million passengers, while JFK – Londres-Heathrow (JFK-LHR) remained the main international route from the continent, with 2.1 million passengers.
- Europe: Barcelona – Palma de Mallorca (BCN-PMI) led with 2.1 million travelers, while the Stockholm-Arlanda route – Malmö (ARN-MMX) was the fastest growing on the continent, shooting a 85% until the 271 031 passengers.
The United States and China lead; Central Asia surprises with growth
USA remained the largest domestic passenger market in the world, with 890.1 million travelers in 2025, although it showed signs of maturity with the slowest growth of the top ten group (+1.6% interannual). China ranked second with 776.1 million passengers and an expansion of 4.8%.
The report's surprises came from Central Asia, where Kazakhstan recorded an extraordinary jump in 40% interannual, reaching the 18.1 million passengers, while Uzbekistan grew by 16.9% (12.5 millions). In Southeast Asia, Vietnam ratified its dynamism with 80.9 million passengers, a preview of 14.8% in comparison with 2024.
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