Airports Council International (ACI) World says the world’s airports handled a record 9.8 billion passengers in 2025, according to its 2026 Annual World Airport Traffic Report published on 23 September. The figures, drawn from 2,817 commercial airports in more than 185 countries and covering an estimated 97% of scheduled global passenger traffic, also show air cargo reaching a record 131.2 million tonnes and aircraft movements climbing to 103.1 million, up 2% on the previous year.
International travel led the growth, rising 6.1% in 2025, ahead of domestic travel’s 1.7% increase. Africa posted the strongest regional growth at 9%, followed by the Middle East at 6.5%, Asia-Pacific at 5.1%, Latin America and the Caribbean at 4.5%, and Europe at 4.2%. North America was the only region to see a decline, down 0.7%.
A markedly slower 2026
The momentum has not carried into this year. ACI World’s data shows global passenger traffic reached around 4.7 billion in the first half of 2026, up just 0.6% on the same period in 2025, a sharp deceleration from the pace set the year before. The Middle East has borne the brunt of the slowdown, with traffic down 21% as the region deals with escalating conflict and airspace disruption that has forced airlines to reroute or cancel flights.
Long-term demand still strong, ACI says
Despite the weaker start to 2026, ACI World’s director general, Justin Erbacci, struck a confident note about the industry’s longer-term trajectory. “The 2025 results confirm what this industry has shown year after year: long-term demand for air travel remains strong, and more capacity will be needed,” he said. The comment reflects a tension running through much of this year’s aviation data: robust underlying appetite for travel colliding with short-term shocks from conflict, fuel costs and airspace closures.
Why it matters
Airport traffic is one of the most direct proxies for the health of global tourism and business travel, and a slowdown concentrated in one region, rather than a broad-based downturn, suggests the disruption is geopolitical rather than a sign that travellers have lost their appetite to fly. For airports and airlines investing in new capacity based on ACI’s long-term growth forecasts, the gap between 2025’s record and 2026’s much slower pace is a reminder that near-term planning still has to account for shocks that can hit specific regions hard and fast.
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