Business INSIGHTS

17 March 2026 (Geneva) — The International Air Transport Association (IATA) released its Long‑Term Demand Projections (LTDP) for air travel, showing that global air passenger demand is expected to more than double by 2050. Under the mid‑range scenario, demand is forecast to reach 20.8 trillion revenue passenger kilometers (RPKs), based on a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.1% (2024-2050) from the 9 trillion RPKs seen in 2024. A higher growth scenario would see a 3.3% CAGR with passenger demand reaching 21.9 trillion RPKs in 2050. A lower growth scenario would see 2.9% CAGR with passenger demand reaching 19.5 trilli