Annual global economic growth of 2.9 percent over the coming 20 years will be the principal driver for a 4.8-percent yearly increase in the world’s passenger traffic, said Boeing. But regional growth during 2005-24 will vary widely, with traffic in China increasing by almost 160 percent more than that in Europe, which has the lowest expansion rate.
North America (at 3.5-percent predicted annual growth) and Europe (3.4 percent) comprise the two largest continental markets, with Boeing expecting each to account for more than a trillion revenue passenger kilometers per year by 2024.
In contrast, even after 20 years of predicted very high growth, China (8.8 percent) will still be smaller than either transpacific or Europe-Asia regional markets. Second-highest growth will be in Latin America (7.2 percen
