IATA forecasts 7.2b annual air passengers by 2036

By 2036, 7.2b passengers will travel by air annually, according to IATA’s newest 20-year Air Passenger Forecast, released Oct 18. The forecast nearly doubles the 3.8b passengers expected to utilise air transport in 2016. The Asia-Pacific region is expected to provide over half of the new passengers over the next 20 years, IATA said, with China taking the top spot as the world’s largest aviation market in/around 2029. The US will drop to second and India will be the third largest market, surpassing the UK. Air passenger travel will continue to increase in developing markets. Rounding out the predicted top 10 air passenger markets as they will stand in 2036 are: Indonesia in fifth place, followed by Spain, Japan, Germany, France and Brazil. <br/>