2026 Annual World Airport Traffic Report also points to record cargo and aircraft movements in 2025, and a slowdown taking hold in 2026
Montréal, 23 September 2026 – Global airports carried a record 9.8 billion passengers in 2025, Airports Council International (ACI) World reported today, while air cargo volumes also reached an all-time high. But momentum has cooled in 2026, with passenger growth slowing amid mounting geopolitical and economic headwinds, even as cargo continues to expand.
The figures, published in ACI World’s 2026 Annual World Airport Traffic Report (WATR), draw on data from 2,817 commercial airports worldwide – ACI World’s largest dataset to date – capturing an estimated 97% of scheduled global passenger traffic and offering the most comprehensive picture yet of how the world moves through its airports.
“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,” said Justin Erbacci, ACI World’s Director General. “Meeting that demand means expanding capacity while getting far more out of the infrastructure we already have. It also means advocating for regulation that enables investment rather than blocking it and never losing sight of the fact that airports are strategic assets for their communities.” (....)