Airlines process about $1 trillion in payments annually, spending $22 billion

Airlines handle roughly $1 trillion in payments each year and incur about $22 billion in related expenses, of which $18 billion are payment fees and $4 billion are airline operating costs.

IATA estimates the payment burden at about $4 per passenger, compared with an industry net profit of $7.70 per passenger in 2025, while African carriers earned $1.30 per passenger that year.