Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association of the world’s airports, has released its World Airport Traffic Report Dataset, which details 2019’s passenger traffic, cargo volumes and aircraft movements.
“The airports industry was experiencing a period of sustained passenger traffic growth in 2019 but, despite this consistent growth, we are now facing the worst crisis the industry has ever confronted, with crippling losses in passenger traffic and revenues due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic,” ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said. “We are, however, positive about the future of the industry because the connectivity we provide and the benefits for business and tourism represent a crucial part of the global economic recovery.”
Per the analysis, the world’s airports accommodated 9.1 billion passengers, 120 million metric tons of cargo, and more than 102 million aircraft movements. Officials say the dataset contains the most comprehensive data coverage ever collected by ACI, including coverage of 2,565 airports in 180 countries worldwide.
According to the ACI, global passenger traffic expanded 3.5 percent last year – equating to 9.1 billion passengers. Additionally, the organization maintains international passenger traffic grew faster than domestic passenger traffic.
“In 2019, global air service growth remained consistent and resilient but the continuing impact of protectionism and trade wars on international air transport services was looming as the main challenge to growth in the short term,” de Oliveira said. “No one could have predicted that a global pandemic would bring the aviation industry to a standstill.”