Airlines carried 4.1 billion passengers worldwide in 2017, breaking
the 4 billion mark for the first time, according to IATA.
The figure was up 7.3% from 2016, when approximately 3.8
billion passengers took to the sky.
"In 2000, the average citizen flew just once every 43
months. In 2017, the figure was once every 22 months," IATA general
secretary Alexandre de Juniac said. "Flying has never been more
accessible. And this is liberating people to explore more of our planet for
work, leisure and education."
In North America, airlines carried 941.8 million people in
2017, up 3.2% from 2016. The Asia-Pacific region and Europe recorded the
highest growth, with passenger numbers rising 10.6% and 8.2% respectively.
In terms of the number of miles that passengers flew,
American was the top airline, transporting people a total of 201 million miles
in 2016, or farther than a return trip to the sun. Delta, United, Emirates and
Southwest made up the remainder of the top five.
Airlines served more than 20,000 city pairs in 2017.