Global passenger traffic to reach 9.7bn
The Airports Council International (ACI) World has released the annual World Airport Traffic Forecasts (WATF) 2023–2052 dataset, showing the top 20 markets for air travel demand among other key air traffic findings. The latest WATF extends its horizon by an impressive 10 years, offering a comprehensive 30-year perspective on airport traffic forecasts at global, regional, […]
airports council international (aci) world
The Airports Council International (ACI) World has released the annual World Airport Traffic Forecasts (WATF) 2023–2052 dataset, showing the top 20 markets for air travel demand among other key air traffic findings.
The latest WATF extends its horizon by an impressive 10 years, offering a comprehensive 30-year perspective on airport traffic forecasts at global, regional, and country levels.
The flagship resource covers data sourced from 141 countries, introducing 29 new countries, to provide granular forecasts for passengers, air cargo volumes (in metric tonnes) and aircraft movements.
ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said: “The projections indicate that global passenger traffic is set to reach 9.7 billion by the end of 2024, surpassing pre-pandemic levels, and suggest a doubling by 2042 and a 2.5-fold increase by 2052.”
According to the report, global passenger traffic is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.3% from 2023 to 2042 and 3.6% from 2042 to 2052.
Global passenger numbers are forecasted to approximately double from 2024 to 2042 and to be 2.5 times higher in 2052.
By 2024, international passenger traffic is forecasted to approach the 4 billion mark with domestic passenger traffic reaching 5.7 billion.
Looking ahead to 2042, international passenger traffic is expected to reach 8.7 billion and domestic passenger traffic to attain 10.6 billion.
In the long-term, the global passenger market dynamic is expected to shift, transitioning from advanced economies towards emerging and developing economies.