7.3 billion air travellers in 2034 – China, US and India fast growers

In twenty years from now, a stunning number of 7.3 billion air travellers will check-in at the world’s airports, says the International Air Transport Association (IATA). The IATA Passenger Forecast report says air connectivity demand will show an annual average growth number of 4.1 per cent, resulting in more than a doubling of the 3.3 billion passengers expected to travel this year.

The report analyses passenger flows across 4,000 country pairs for the next 20 years, forecasting passenger numbers by way three key demand drivers: living standards, population and demographics, and price and availability.

IATA expects China to overtake the US as the world’s largest passenger market by 2030, but both markets are expected to remain the largest.

The IATA report claims by 2034 the five fastest-increasing markets in terms of additional passengers per year will be China (856 million new passengers per year), the US (559 million), India (266 million), Indonesia (183 million) and Brazil (170 million). Eight of the ten fastest-growing markets in percentage terms it says will be in Africa with Central African Republic, Madagascar, Tanzania, Burundi and Kuwait making up the five fastest-growing markets.

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