Aviation in the news

IATA predicts 2.75 billion passengers per year by 2011Right: The strongest aviation growth over the next four years will take place in the Middle East, including Sharjah, seen here

Latest projections from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) suggest passenger traffic will grow at an average of 5.1% per year to 2011 and that by then the industry will handle 2.75 billion passengers, 620 million more than in 2006.

The number of domestic passengers is expected to grow from 1.37 billion passengers in 2006 to 1.77 billion in 2011, an average rise of 5.3% per year, fuelled by expansion in the Indian and Chinese domestic markets.

International passenger numbers will grow by an average of 5.1% per year to 980 million in 2011, from 760 million in 2006. This represents a drop in the growth rate compared with 2002-2006, largely due to projections for slightly slower global economic growth.

The strongest international passenger demand growth is forecast for the Middle East where growth will average 6.8% per year, driven by GDP expansion and significant new routes and capacity. Passenger numbers in the Asia Pacific are projected to grow 5.9% per year, while the number of African passengers will grow 5.6% per year.

Europe (up 5.0% per year), Latin America (4.4%) and North America (4.2%) are expected to record lower than average growth, though there will be strong growth in some markets, such as Eastern Europe, within these regions.

“The numbers clearly show that the world wants to fly. And it also needs to fly. Air transport is critical to the fabric of the global economy, playing a critical role in wealth generation and poverty reduction. The livelihoods of 32 million people are tied to aviation, accounting for US$3.5 trillion in economic activity,” says Giovanni Bisignani, IATA’s director general and CEO.

“Parts of the world are effectively managing infrastructure development to anticipate and meet demand – particularly the Middle East and China. But the enormous anticipated expansion in India that has fuelled record aircraft orders could be cut short by insufficient airport and air traffic management capacity,” adds Bisignani. “The unprecedented delays nightmare in the US is a clear example of the paralysis that results when we miss the mark on effective planning.”