ACI: Global Airport Passenger Traffic Hits Record 9.8 Billion in 2025

Airports Council International (ACI) World released its 2026 Annual World Airport Traffic Report, showing global airports carried a record 9.8 billion passengers in 2025, with air cargo also hitting an all-time high. The report draws on data from 2,817 commercial airports, capturing an estimated 97% of scheduled global passenger traffic. International traffic drove growth, up 6.1% versus 1.7% for domestic; cargo rose 3.3% and aircraft movements 2.0%. Africa led with 9.0% growth, followed by the Middle East (6.5%), Asia-Pacific (5.1%), Latin America and the Caribbean (4.5%) and Europe (4.2%), while North America fell 0.7%. Momentum has cooled in 2026: first-half passenger traffic reached abo…