In 2023 alone, airports supported nearly 100 million aircraft movements and served 8.7 billion departing and arriving passengers worldwide. That’s over 12 million travellers every day moving through a global network of 4,000+ commercial airports. This goes beyond travel - it’s about driving global transformation.
This traffic creates millions of jobs:
The airport economy extends even further - into construction, energy, IT, and manufacturing— forming an ecosystem that powers communities.
According to the Aviation: Benefits Beyond Borders report, airports are the launchpads for moving people and goods, they enable connectivity and keep the global economy running. Airports are the anchor within the global air transport system:
This is just the beginning. These numbers are set to increase over the coming decades as airports invest in their infrastructure. Airports invested US$50 billion in infrastructure in 2022, creating a runway for even bigger gains and further benefits for local communities.
A US$100 per capita increase in airport infrastructure investment over the 9-year period is linked to 50 more passenger arrivals per capita*. These additional passengers would have spent money on goods and services, forged friendships and cultural connections, and done business, all of which would have stimulated economic activity and jobs.
*Oxford Economics found that for every US$100 per capita invested in airport infrastructure, countries saw an average of 50 more air arrivals per capita (research in 50 countries).
The benefits of aviation infrastructure don’t just support communities and economies in urban areas and developed countries. For many remote islands and rural areas, airports serve as a lifeline - offering access to:
And in emerging economies, the impact is even more dramatic:
In some regions, the effects are even stronger. About one half of the top 20 countries for passenger traffic are now developing or emerging economies, which are growing at rapid speed. Traffic hotspots to watch*:
* Data by ACI World.
Air cargo is also growing rapidly, particularly in Asia. Hong Kong, the world’s largest airport by cargo volume, handled 4.3 million metric tonnes in 2023, while Shanghai followed closely with 3.4 million metric tonnes and annual growth rates of 10%.
And countries like India, China, Bangladesh, Thailand, and Nepal are poised for takeoff—thanks to middle-class growth, airport infrastructure investments (Bangabandhu and Dhaka airports in Bangladesh or Pokhara airport in Nepal), the network expansion by low-cost airlines and relaxed visa policies.
Yet, with this growth comes responsibility. Airports play a central role for aviation’s path to net zero carbon emissions. Across the globe, they are investing in cleaner technologies and reducing emissions for every layer of their operations.
As of December 2023:
Global examples of green innovation:
Airports across Europe and Asia are deploying electric ground equipment, installing renewable energy systems, and investing in more sustainable building standards. Airports have been increasing their rate of waste recycling and diversion from landfill and even using waste to produce energy.
The circular economy concept can also be applied to the design and development of new infrastructure projects, for instance, using materials with a longer lifecycle. Airports also play an important role in collaborative on-site projects, like the provision of fixed electrical ground power and preconditioned air to aircraft as well as the installation of charging points for electric vehicles.
Airports are preparing for the future with infrastructure for:
This puts them at the very heart of the energy transition—not just adapting to change but enabling it.
Achieving our net-zero objective as an industry cannot happen in isolation. The entire aviation ecosystem must work together.
True progress can be achieved if airports:
Only through coordinated action can the sector scale its sustainability efforts, ensure resilient growth, and unlock the full socio-economic benefits of air connectivity for future generations.
As aviation evolves, the focus must remain on responsible growth. The future of aviation is about the systems and communities that surround them. And airports are right at the center of that transformation.