In its Global Traffic Forecast for 2006-2025 Airports Council International (ACI) is predicting that 9bn airline passengers will be flying worldwide by 2025, more than double the 4.2bn carried in 2006.

The ACI forecast released this month bases its prediction on an uninterrupted average annual traffic growth rate of 4% a year and points out that North America will remain the world's largest passenger market.
But North America's dominance is likely to be challenged by Asia, which it forecasts will see annual growth of 9% a year until 2009. As a result, by 2025, ACI predicts that Asia will become the world's largest air travel market.