Global Passenger Numbers Up 6.4 Pct In 2015

World airport passenger traffic increased by 6.4 percent in 2015, the strongest growth rate since 2010, ACI said in its annual report.

Airports Council International, the trade association for airports worldwide, released its 2015 World Airport Traffic Report which showed an increase in passenger numbers to 7.2 billion for the year.

The report said international tourism was resilient in 2015, considering the geo-political risks in areas such as Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

ACI Director General Angela Gittens said in a statement, “There are several impediments that could curtail the continued rise in demand, which could potentially encumber growth prospects over the short- and medium-terms. Specifically, these are related to geo-political unrest, terrorism and threats to security in certain parts of the world.”

“It is important to maintain cautious optimism as we navigate through 2016,” Gittens added.

Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport maintained its number one spot with a 5.5 percent increase to 101.5 million passengers.

Beijing Capital saw a 4.4 percent increase to 89.9 million, to retain its second place spot.

The big winner last year was Dubai International with a 10.7 percent increase to 78 million, which saw it move up three places to third.

For international passengers, Dubai came top, with London Heathrow second and Hong Kong third.

The UK government is set to announce later in the year whether space-constrained Heathrow will be allowed to add capacity by building a third runway.

The busiest region for passenger traffic in 2015 was Asia-Pacific with 2.46 billion. Europe followed with 1.93 billion, and North America came third with 1.72 billion.

Airport cargo throughput increased by 2.6 percent last year to 106 million metric tonnes, with Hong Kong and Memphis taking out first and second places. Shanghai’s Pudong Airport was third.

The Asia-Pacific region handled the largest amount of air cargo with 41.1 million metric tonnes carried.