Year 2015 was the best in the history of civil aviation. According to IATA (International Air Transport Association) statistics, about 3.6 billion passengers chose to fly by plane. There was an increase with 7.2% compared to 2014, which represents an increase with 240 of millions of passengers compared to the previous year.
At the same time, the airlines transported 52.2 million tons of freight worth over 6 trillions of dollars, increasing by 2.3%. The aviation industry has supported 63 millions of jobs globally.
Asia-Pacific - 34% market share
Subsequently, Asia-Pacific companies managed to carry most passengers, with an increase of 10% over 2014.
Ranking of passengers transported in different global regions:
1. Asia-Pacific - 34% market share - 1.2 billion passengers (10% increase over 2014)
2. Europe - 26.2% market share - 935.5 million passengers (increase by 6.7% compared to 2014)
3. North America - 24.8% market share - 883.2 million passengers (increase by 5.2% compared to 2014)
4. Latin America - 7.5% market share - 267.6 million passengers (increase by 4.7% compared to 2014)
5. Middle East- 5.3% market share - 188.2 million passengers (increase of 8.1% compared to 2014)
6. Africa - 2.2% market share - 79.5 million passengers (increase of 1.8% compared to 2014).
For 2016 the estimates are more optimistic. If we take into account the global sporting events, the evolution of the emerging markets, as well as the regional developments, the air traffic will probably record 3.8 billion passengers transported.
With regard to domestic markets, India saw the largest increase in passenger traffic on domestic flights. With an annual growth of 18.8% and a market of 80 of millions of passengers, India's performance surpassed that of Russia, which registered an increase of 11.9% and an internal market of 47 of millions of passengers. China reports an increase of 9.7% and a market of 394 of millions of passengers, and the United States of America has registered an increase of 5.4%, in an internal market of 708 of millions of passengers.
If we refer to the air alliances, Star Alliance has a market share of 23% of the total scheduled flights - RPK (Revenue Passenger Kilometers). Joining SkyTeam - market share of 20.4%, and OneWorld - market share of 17.8%.