A 6.4 percent increase in worldwide passenger traffic last year amounts to the strongest rate of growth since 2010, the year traffic grew by 6.6 percent amid the rebound from the Great Recession, according to a new report released Friday by Airports Council International. Despite a slight weakening of overall economic growth in 2015 to 3.3 percent, growth in passenger traffic approached pre-recessionary levels seen in 2004 and 2007. International tourism accounted for much of last year’s growth, despite geopolitical risks in certain parts of the world such as the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Air cargo markets remained weaker than passenger markets, however, achieving a modest 3.6 percent growth in total volumes due to what ACI called subdued growth in emerging markets and developing economies, coupled with a more modest recovery in advanced economies.
Last year the highest number of passengers traveled through airports in the Asia-Pacific region, which saw an 8.6 percent increase from 2014, said ACI. Although accounting for a much smaller proportion of the world’s overall traffic, the Middle East saw the biggest increase, at 9.6 percent over 2014. North America and the Latin America-Caribbean region each saw a 5.3 percent increase, while Europe registered a rise of 5.2 percent. Africa, which represents the smallest proportion of traffic of all regions studied, saw only a 0.6 percent increase.
Last year 37 airports hosted more than 40 million passengers, compared with just 16 in 2005, said ACI. Collectively, that club of airports achieved an unprecedented growth rate of 60 percent year-over-year, particularly remarkable because a majority of airports in the category reside in such mature markets as North America and Europe, the group also noted. After years of consolidation and capacity discipline by U.S. airlines, North America has witnessed a resurgence in air transport demand, particularly at many of its large hubs.
“While this represents an important feat for the world’s busiest airports and the economic vitality of the regions they serve, the downside of airline capacity shifts towards major connecting hubs in certain markets is that smaller regional airports lose out on traffic with a reduction in nonstop destinations between cities,” said ACI World director general Angela Gittens. “It is important to highlight that the reason smaller airports remain in operation hinges on the idea that they contribute to the local, social and economic development of their surrounding communities. Strategies to ensure their sustainability are equally important in guaranteeing a well-rounded aviation system.”
Meanwhile, ACI expressed “cautious optimism” in its outlook for 2016, as several factors could encumber growth prospects over the short- to medium-term, said Gittens.
“Specifically, these are related to geopolitical unrest, terrorism and threats to security in certain parts of the world,” she explained. “Physical capacity considerations and potential bottlenecks in air transport infrastructure also pose challengers in accommodating future air transport demand. Finally, protectionist policies that retreat from further economic integration and air transport liberalization could have adverse effects on the air transport industry.”