CNN
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Think those lines at the airport are long? Fast-forward a few years and they’re going to be waaaay longer according to new forecasts that say the volume of global air passengers is set to more than double over the next two decades.
By 2040, air passengers will be taking a total of 20.9 billion journeys, according to the Airports Council International, a global body that represents the planet’s airports. That’s a huge travel leap from from 8.2 billion passenger trips in 2017.
So where will these extra passengers be coming from? According to ACI, mainly from China, which is expected to outstrip the United States to become the No. 1 country of origin for air travelers.
Chinese passengers will be making four billion air journeys in 2040, accounting for almost 19% of all global traffic, ACI says. US passengers will make up about 15% of the market, with India in third place with 6.3%.
The huge surge expected in passenger numbers is good news for the global aviation industry, which has been pouring billions of dollars into upgrading existing airport facilities and building ambitious new ones.
But ACI warns more investment will be needed if the planet’s aviation networks are to avoid heavy congestion.
Angela Gittens, director general of ACI World, says the rise of Asia-Pacific markets is a positive development, but a global plan is needed for the years ahead.
“While this is welcome, surging air transport demand threatens to outstrip current and planned airport infrastructure in many regions around the world,” she says. “These physical capacity considerations and potential bottlenecks in air transport infrastructure pose challenges to the global industry in accommodating the strong forecast future demand.”
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The world's busiest airports: While airline passengers might wish for less crowded airports, cities love to brag about their booming airports and the impact of flight on the local economy. Denver International Airport in the US was the 20th busiest in the world last year for passenger traffic, with more than 61 million passengers. That's according to 2017 data from Airports Council International.
courtesy Korean Air
Incheon International Airport, South Korea: South Korea's largest airport welcomed more than 62 million passengers in 2017, an increase of 7.5%.
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18. Singapore Changi Airport, Singapore: Changi is regularly voted the
best airport in the world. More than 62 million passengers got to experience it last year, an increase of 6%.
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17. Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Indonesia: Last year 63 million passengers visited this Jakarta airport, an increase of 8.3% on 2016.
Courtesy David Brossard/Creative Commons/Flickr
16. Indira Gandhi International Airport, India: Don't let this picture of an empty Terminal 3 fool you. This Indian airport welcomed 63.5 million passengers in 2017, an increase of 14%.
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15. Atatürk International Airport, Turkey: The Istanbul airport saw a 6% increase in traffic last year, with nearly 64 million travelers passing through.
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14. Frankfurt Am Main Airport, Germany: Germany's busiest airport handled 64.5 million passengers in 2017, 6% more than the year before.
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13. Guangzhou Bai Yun International Airport, China: This airport in southern China saw a huge 10.3% increase in passenger traffic last year, welcoming nearly 66 million travelers.
From DFW International Airport
12. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, United States: The fourth-busiest airport in the US, Dallas/Fort Worth flew 67 million passengers in 2017, an increase of 2.3%.
Peter Dejong/AP
11. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Netherlands: The Dutch airport welcomed 68.5 million passengers in 2017, up nearly 8% from the year before.
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10. Aéroport de Paris-Charles de Gaulle, France: France's busiest airport had more than 69 million passengers last year, up 5.4% on 2016.
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9. Shanghai Pudong International Airport, China: With more than 70 million passengers in 2017, 6% growth from the previous year, Pudong held onto ninth place.
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8. Hong Kong International Airport, China: Hong Kong held onto eighth place last year, with nearly 73 million passengers, up 3.4% compared to 2016.
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7. London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom: Heathrow's passenger traffic grew 3% to more than 78 million passengers.
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6. Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, United States: Chicago's larger airport had close to 80 million passengers in 2017, growth of 2.4%.
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5. Los Angeles International Airport, United States: Southern California's most popular airport flew 84.6 million passengers last year, 4.5% more than in 2016.
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4. Tokyo's Haneda International Airport, Japan: More than 85 million passengers last year, 6.5% up from 2016, moved Haneda up into fourth place.
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3. Dubai International Airport, United Arab Emirates: The busiest passenger airport in the Middle East, Dubai hosted more than 88 million passengers in 2017, up more than 5.5% over 2016.
Andy Wong/AP
2. Beijing Capital International Airport, China: With nearly 96 million passengers in 2017, up 1.5% over 2016, Beijing continues to nip at the heels of the No. 1 airport.
David Goldman/AP
And the winner is: Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, in the US state of Georgia, was the busiest passenger airport in the world in 2017. It hosted nearly 104 million passengers last year, down 0.3% on 2016.
Despite the rosy traffic forecasts, Gittens says cross-border disputes and nationalist trade policies such as those favored by the current US government may cause numbers to waver.
“Geopolitical tensions and protectionist policies that retreat from further economic integration and air transport liberalization could also have an adverse effect on the air transport industry,” she says.
“The aviation industry must come together to respond to these challenges and help to ensure communities continue to reap the social and economic benefits of air service growth. Policy at a national and global level should be focused on facilitating sustainable growth over the long term.”
Other nations taking to the skies in increasing number over the next couple of decades will include Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, UAE and the Philippines, according to ACI’s data covering 110 countries.
1. Vietnam – 7.8%
2. India – 6.8%
3. Saudi Arabia – 6.2%
4. United Arab Emirates – 5.7%
5. China – 5.5%
6. Philippines – 5.4%
7. Indonesia – 5.4%
8. Colombia – 5.4%
9. Mexico – 5.4%
10. Malaysia – 4.8%