Kuala lumpur: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has released its Long-Term Demand Projections (LTDP) report for air travel, projecting that global air passenger demand will more than double by 2050.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the report forecasts demand to reach 20.8 trillion revenue passenger kilometres (RPKs) under the mid-range scenario, based on a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.1 percent from the nine trillion RPKs observed in 2024. A higher growth scenario anticipates a 3.3 percent CAGR with passenger demand hitting 21.9 trillion RPKs by 2050, while a lower growth scenario estimates a 2.9 percent CAGR with demand reaching 19.5 trillion RPKs by 2050.

The different scenarios are influenced by alternative modeling of long-term economic growth, populations, aviation fuel price trends, the global energy transition, and air transport supply-side capacity development, according to the IATA statement. Willie Walsh, IATA's director-general, emphasized that the LTDP report provides a solid basis for long-term planning for governments, industries, and energy suppliers. He highlighted the need for policy frameworks to support infrastructure development, market access, regulatory harmonization, and clean energy transition.

Regionally, IATA projects Asia-Pacific and Africa to be the fastest-growing regions from 2024 to 2050 under the mid-range scenario, with CAGRs of 3.8 percent and 3.6 percent, respectively. Europe and North America are expected to grow more slowly, with projections of 2.5 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively.

The LTDP identifies the fastest-growing markets as intra-Africa (4.9 percent), Africa-Asia-Pacific (4.5 percent), Asia-Pacific-Middle East (3.9 percent), intra-Asia-Pacific (3.9 percent), and Africa-North America (3.8 percent). This underscores the importance of investing in aviation infrastructure and regulatory frameworks in developing regions. Conversely, several Europe-centred markets are among the slowest-growing, IATA noted.