Global air travel set to soar, but capacity gaps threaten growth, says ACI
The airports trade association warns infrastructure and coordination gaps could hinder aviation’s ability to keep pace with surging long-term demand
Airports Council International (ACI) World has published its World Airport Traffic Forecasts 2025–2054, projecting sustained long-term growth in global air travel despite mounting operational and infrastructure pressures.
Passenger numbers are expected to reach 10.2 billion in 2026, representing year-on-year growth of 3.9%. Over the longer term, global passenger traffic is forecast to double by 2045, climbing to 18.8 billion travellers, a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.4%.
ACI World said demand fundamentals remained strong, particularly in emerging and developing markets. However, growth is becoming increasingly uneven across regions and is likely to be constrained by infrastructure and operational challenges. These include limited airport capacity, delays in aircraft deliveries, ongoing supply chain disruption, geopolitical uncertainty, and the need to meet sustainability targets.
“The forecast sends a clear signal to the global aviation community: long-term growth is not guaranteed without coordinated action,” said ACI World Director General Justin Erbacci. “To accommodate rising demand, the industry must accelerate investment in airport infrastructure, airspace capacity, and operational resilience, while strengthening collaboration across airports, airlines, governments, regulators, and industry partners.
“Without collective action, capacity constraints jeopardise the industry’s ability to meet the projected demand and create operational bottlenecks, directly affecting the quality and reliability of the passenger journey. At the same time, insufficient investment to meet the projected demand would result in missed economic development opportunities at regional and national levels. Aviation plays a central role in global economic development (3.9% of global GDP; [according to the Air Transport Action Group] ATAG).
“Ensuring the sector can sustainably absorb future demand growth is therefore not only an industry priority, but a global economic imperative,” he concluded.
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Chloe Fox
Chloe Fox is an Editorial Assistant for Voyageur Group, joining in 2024. She writes for ITIJ and AirMed&Rescue, covering a range of topics including international travel and health insurance, medical assistance provision, and air medical transportation. Chloe holds a BA (Hons) in English and an MA in English Literature from the University of Bristol.