JEDDAH: The International Air Transport Association (IATA) forecast that the Middle East will be the fastest growing market in terms of people who will travel by air by 2014, at 9.4 percent, followed by Africa at 7.7 percent, Asia-Pacific at 7.6 percent, Latin America (5.7 percent), North America (4.9 percent) and Europe (4.7 percent). In a report Saturday, IATA the fastest growing markets for international passenger traffic during the 2009-2014 period will be China, the UAE, Vietnam, Malaysia and Sri Lanka. UAE is ranked 7th for international passengers at 82.3 million. By 2014, the top five countries for international travel measured by number of passengers will be the US at 215 million, an increase of 45 million); the United Kingdom at 198 million with an increase of 33 million; Germany at 163 million, an increase of 29 million); Spain at 123 million, an increase of 21 million); and France at 111 million, an increase of 21 million. By 2014 the five largest markets for domestic passengers will be the United States (671 million), China (379 million), Japan (102 million), Brazil (90 million) and India (69 million). Domestic passenger numbers are expected to rise from 1.5 billion in 2009 to over 2 billion in 2014. This 488 million passenger increase reflects a CAGR of 5.7 percent. China will record the highest CAGR of 13.9 percent and contribute an additional 181 million passengers. Other countries with double digit growth include Vietnam (10.9 percent), South Africa (10.6 percent), India (10.5 percent), and the Philippines (10.2 percent). International freight demand will grow 8.1 percent as freight links to and via the region continue to develop. The UAE will lead the region, handling 2.7 million tons of cargo. Africa is expected to see international passenger growth of 7.7 percent, the second highest of the regions. International cargo demand is expected to be 5.8 percent, the lowest among the regions. IATA further said by 2014, there will be 3.3 billion air travelers, up by 800 million from the 2.5 billion in 2009. By 2014 international aviation will handle 38 million tons of air cargo, up 12.5 million tons from the 26 million tons carried in 2009. "China will be the biggest contributor of new travelers," the global aviation trade body said in a news statement. "Of the 800 million new travelers expected in 2014, 360 million (45 percent) will travel on Asia-Pacific routes and of those, 214 million will be associated with China," it said. "The United States will remain the largest single country market for domestic passengers and international passengers." China's rapidly expanding economy has seen the country's aviation sector grow at a blistering pace over the past few years.
