In any day, thousands of flights leave and land at the airports of the United States and the world. Curious travelers probably ask how many planes are in the air at the same time. Thanks to the technology and the fact that each plane is tracked, it is easily answered. To help break down those numbers, we went to the experts of the FlightTAware flight tracking software to lend a hand.

Then, how many planes are In the air right now?

The number of commercial airplanes in the sky at any time fluctuates minute by minute, and air trips vary at the time of day and day. According to FlightTAware, which tracks this data, there are between 12,000 and 14,000 planes in the sky at the same time in an average day. Commercial flights represent approximately two thirds of these airplanes, followed by general aviation, businesses and cargo aircraft.

“Real -time world flight traffic is traced 24 hours,” said Kathleen Bangs, a Flightware spokeswoman and commercial pilot Travel + Leisure. “The numbers vary quite. Obviously, at three in the morning, it will be substantially less.”

The numbers also vary according to the season. “In general, the summer months are the busiest for most countries, since it is when they see the greatest demand for leisure trips and, of course, during the big vacation and especially those who spend a long weekend,” Bangs to T+L told a previous interview. In 2024, the busiest was July (788,520 flights), followed by August (775,610 flights). The lightest month for air trips last year was February, with 658,630 flights.

There are between 160,000 and 200,000 planes that land on a typical day. It is not surprising that Bangs said that the airline industry has recovered, exceeding pre-pandemic records. “Until the pandemic, 2019 was the busiest year on air trips, but we have grown every year since Covid and the numbers in 2024 have exceeded that,” he said.

Another trend caused by pandemic is the increase of people who opt for private air trips. Bangs says that Business Aviation (private jet trips) by 2024 has increased by 16 percent compared to CO-COVID.

How do companies track flights?

Flights can be traced using technology called dependent-saved automatic surveillance (ADS-B). Most aircraft are equipped with ADS-B transponders that transmit public data such as location, altitude and air speed to air traffic controls. Flight monitoring companies use these public data to inform their own systems.

FlightAware, for example, has 35,000 ADS-B flight feeders mounted on the ground worldwide. These small receptors, which are not larger than two decks of cards, are used together with satellite receptors that orbit the earth. “We can track flights anywhere in the world, including previously inaccessible areas such as the Indian Ocean, large strips of deserts, tropical jungles and north and south posts,” Bangs said.

But not all airplanes are traceable. Military aircraft are not registered in security problems and private aircraft owners can request that their tail numbers be blocked through privacy presentations with the Federal Aviation Administration.

What are some flight tracking applications that you can use at home?

While FlightAware is the option for aviation -related companies (plus airlines and airports), consumers can also access their data. Two other options are Flightradar24 and Finder on a plane. The three monitoring companies have free versions of their software, accessible both through desktop and in mobile applications.

For the frequent steering wheel, Bangs said that FlightTAware has two key uses. One is to track a flight if you are picking up someone at the airport, and another is for your own trip. Travelers can track where their incoming plane is so they know if the plane is at the door waiting for their early departure in the morning or if it connects, if it is on its way.

“If you are connecting is fantastic,” says Bangs. “If you go to the door and do not see your plane, you can consult the matching of the city to see where it is now and if it is delayed. Often, you will have more fast information than even the door agents so that you can connect and reach the front of the line to make a schedule change if necessary.”