The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a report yesterday suggesting that passenger numbers on US airlines look set to grow by around 50% over the next two decades.

 

It says that US carriers will carry 1.14bn passengers by 2035 – up from an estimated 756.3m last year – based on the partial assumption that real US gross domestic product grows on average by 2.4% per year in that time.

 

The FAA also anticipates that the number of miles travelled by passengers will grow by an average of 2.5% a year to one billion passengers by 2029 and to 1.44bn by 2035.

 

 

“The improving economy continues to bode well for the health of the US air transportation system,” said FAA Administrator Michael Huerta. “The FAA and industry are continuing to deploy NextGen technologies and procedures to ensure that the nation’s aviation system can safely and efficiently meet our growing airspace demands.”

 

Total mainline air carrier and regional RPMs are forecast to increase from 855.1B in 2014 to 1.44T in 2035, an average annual rate of 2.5%. Domestic RPMs are projected to increase 2.8% in 2015 and then grow an average of 1.9% per year during the remaining 20-year forecast period.

 

International RPMs are forecast to increase 2.3% in 2015 and then grow an average of 3.7% per year for the rest of the forecast period.

 

Domestic enplanements [departures] are projected to increase 2.6% in 2015 and then grow an average of 1.6% per year during the remaining 20-year forecast period. International enplanements are expected to increase by 2.5% in 2015 and then grow an average of 3.7% per year for the rest of the forecast period.