DUBAI: The number of passengers travelling to and from the United Arab Emirates is expected to increase at a higher rate than the regional average over the next 20 years.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), an airline trade association, released its first 20-year passenger forecast on Thursday.
The forecast showed passengers travelling to and from the United Arab Emirates will increase at an average annual pace of 5.6 per cent until 2034. The Middle East is expected to grow annually by 4.9 per cent and will see an extra 237 million passengers a year on routes to, from and within the region.
Qatar will grow at an average annual rate of 4.8 per cent and Saudi Arabia will grow by 4.6 per cent, IATA said.
Passenger numbers between the UAE and Ethiopia and between Kuwait and Thailand are expected to grow by an average of 9.5 per cent over next 20 years.
The UAE, and the Middle East region, is expected to grow ahead of the global average. IATA projects global passenger numbers to reach 7.3 billion by 2034, representing an average annual growth of 4.1 per cent, more than double the 3.3 billion passengers expected to travel this year.
The forecast said China will overtake the United States as the world’s largest passenger market by 2030. In 2034, according to IATA, China will account for 1.3 billion passengers, 856 more than 2014, an average annual growth rate of 5.5 per cent.
Comparatively, traffic United States passenger traffic is expected to grow at a rate of 3.2 per cent and will see 1.2 billion passengers by 2034, 559 million more than 2014.
India’s domestic market is expected to grow at a rate of 6.9 per cent, adding 159 million extra passengers. Africa will grow by 4.7 per cent and by 2034 see an extra 177 million passengers a year.
