3 Billion air journeys polluted skies and earth in 2014
More than 3 billion air journeys were taken globally in 2014, although the exact figures are yet to be released.
In 2013, the total number of passengers carried by airlines grew to 3,023,304,482 globally, according to data provided by the World Bank.
U.S. airlines lead the global pack, carrying 743,096,000 passengers (25% of the total), followed by the Chinese with 352,795,296, or 12 percent of the total.
30 Million international passengers carried by Chinese airlines in 2014
Chinese airlines carried more than 30 million international passengers (estimated 200,000 flights) in 2014, up 18 percent year on year, said a senior civil aviation official, Xinhua reported.
Chinese passengers accounted for more than 55 percent of all passengers on the flights between China and the United States, said the report.
International Air Transport Association (IATA) anticipates China’s domestic passenger capacity to rise 10.8 percent in 2015, while the growth rates of China-U.S., China-Europe and China-Asia Pacific flights will be 10 percent, 9 percent and 4 percent respectively, said the report.
Chinese airlines are planning to launch international routes from smaller cities, with foreign low-cost airlines being permitted to join the Chinese civil aviation market, according to the report.
In 1992, Chinese airlines carried a total of 29 million passengers, according to official statistics.
The number rapidly grew to about 120 million in 2004, and more than 320 million in 2012.
Top 25 Flyers in 2013 (and probably 2014) were:
- United States: 743,096,000
- China: 352,795,296
- UK: 118,304,674
- Japan 105,913,000
- Germany 105,016,346
- Brazil: 95,917,212
- Ireland: 95,585,497
- Indonesia: 85,102,827
- India: 75,322,747
- Turkey: 74,353,297
- Canada: 71,526,726
- Australia: 70,883,315
- UAE: 69,191,127
- France: 66,733,562
- Russian Federation: 65,985,276
- Malaysia: 46,317,632
- Spain: 45,773,340
- South Korea: 41,082,568
- Thailand: 40,714,384
- Mexico: 38,807,595
- Hong Kong SAR, China: 34,206,136
- Netherlands: 33,249,909
- Singapore: 30,554,914
- Philippines: 29,308,659
- Saudi Arabia: 28,252,104
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