Airports Council International (ACI) World has released its 2024 Annual World Airport Traffic Report, forecasting global passenger traffic will reach 9.5 billion this year.
The figure represents 104 per cent of levels in pre-pandemic 2019, and a 10 per cent year-on-year growth compared to 2023.
Records have been tumbling in recent months, with 7.98 million customers travelling through Heathrow in July (surpassing the London hub’s previous all-time monthly record of 7.8 million passengers in July 2018).
And Ryanair carried a record 20.5 million passengers in August – an 8 per cent increase on the 18.9 million passengers flown in the same month last year.
However it’s worth noting that the latest global traffic forecast is down one billion on forecasts for 2024 published before the Covid-19 pandemic, when it was expected for traffic to reach 10.5 billion this year.
International passenger traffic is expected to reach 4.1 billion in 2024, accounting for 43 per cent of total passengers, while domestic traffic is forecast to reach 5.4 billion, account for 57 per cent of the total.
ACI said that the international market had driven recovery in the first half of 2024, with a 17 per cent year-on-year increase in passenger traffic, compared to a 6 per cent growth in the domestic market.
The report draws data from more than 2,700 airports across over 180 countries and territories.
Earlier this year ACI forecast that global passenger traffic would reach 19.3 billion by 2042, with domestic traffic numbers set to hit 10.6 billion, and international traffic set to reach 8.7 billion.
Commenting on the news ACI World Director General Justin Erbacci, said:
“The release of the 2024 Annual World Airport Traffic Report highlights the resilience and adaptability of the global aviation industry and demonstrates ACI World’s unmatched ability to predict and analyze industry trends.
“As we continue to navigate an increasingly complex and evolving landscape, ACI World remains committed to supporting our airport members through advocacy and the development of timely resources.
“The insights provided in this report—reaffirming ACI World’s 99.99 per cent forecasting accuracy—are crucial for aviation stakeholders, policymakers, and industry professionals to make informed, data-driven decisions and strategically plan for the future.”
By Mark Caswell
Source BusinessTraveller
