India will also be the fastest-growing aviation market globally for the 2023-2053 period with a CAGR of 5.5 per cent, while that of China will be 3.8 per cent.
New Delhi: India is expected to overtake China in air passenger traffic growth rate by 2026, with a projected growth of 10.5 per cent, said Airports Council International (ACI) on Wednesday.
While India is one of the fastest-growing aviation markets globally, its passenger traffic is estimated to grow at 10.1 per cent in 2025, slightly lower than China’s 12 per cent that year. The neighbouring nation has a much larger aviation market compared to India.
At a briefing in the national capital, ACI Asia Pacific & Middle East Director General Stefano Baronci said India is a market that is developing and in the process of enhancing its infrastructure. Airports International Council (ACI) Asia Pacific & Middle East represents over 600 airports in the region.
India’s air passenger growth rate likely to be 10.5% in 2026
As per its projections, India’s air passenger growth rate will be 10.5 per cent in 2026 and 10.3 per cent in 2027, while that of China will be 8.9 per cent and 7.2 per cent, respectively.
For the 2023–2027 period, India’s Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) is projected at 9.5 per cent, higher than China’s 8.8 per cent, as per ACI. Over the long term (2023–2053), India will remain the fastest-growing aviation market globally, with a CAGR of 5.5 per cent, while China’s stands at 3.8 per cent.
Highlighting India’s rising air travel penetration, ACI noted that trips per capita in India will grow from 0.1 in 2023 to 0.4 by 2043, underscoring the sector’s immense growth potential.
The GDP per capita has been calculated on the basis of purchasing power parity in terms of dollars for 2019.
ACI Asia Pacific & Middle East President SGK Kishore said that in the next 5-10 years, big aviation hubs will be developed in India, which also has strong domestic opportunities.
Currently, India has 159 operational airports and 50 more airport development projects will be taken up in the next five years. Also, domestic airlines have over 1,700 planes on order.
(With PTI inputs)
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