Global passenger numbers grew 6.4% in 2015

According to data published on Friday in a report by Montreal-headquartered Airports Council International, or ACI, global airport traffic rose 6.4% to 7.2 billion passengers, its fastest rate of growth since 2010. Despite these promising figures, passenger growth this year will likely be tempered by the threat of militant attacks and geopolitical unrest, together with ensuing problems with potential bottlenecks caused by passengers queuing up to clear security checks, the report also indicated
ACI World Director General, Angela Gittens, stated in a news release that “It is important to maintain cautious optimism as we navigate through 2016. There are several impediments that could curtail the continued rise in demand, which could potentially encumber growth prospects over the short and medium terms.”
The highest number of passengers, 2.46 billion, went through the Asia-Pacific region in 2015, up 8.6% from a year earlier, while Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson remained the world’s busiest airport according to the report
ACI, which collects data for over 2,300 airports in 160 countries, also indicated that passenger traffic in emerging markets and developing economies soared 8.1% in 2015, with a 5.2% rise in slower-growing mature markets, while passenger traffic generated by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa grew 8.2% in 2015.
On a global basis, there were 37 large airports listed which handled over 40 million passengers, more than double the number in 2005
The report confirmed that: “This level of growth is unprecedented, particularly since a majority of the airports in this category are from the typical mature markets of North America and Europe.” Additionally, it also revealed that North America experienced a resurgence in air transport demand, particularly at larger hubs, subsequent to years of consolidation and capacity discipline by U.S. airlines.
However, Gittens was more cautious regarding smaller regional airports which are losing out on traffic owing to the impact of larger hubs.