Air Travel: Environmental Nightmare Worsened in 2014

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:

1. United States: 743,096,000
2. China: 352,795,296
3. UK: 118,304,674
4. Japan 105,913,000
5. Germany 105,016,346
6. Brazil: 95,917,212
7. Ireland: 95,585,497
8. Indonesia: 85,102,827
9. India: 75,322,747
10. Turkey: 74,353,297
11. Canada: 71,526,726
12. Australia: 70,883,315
13. UAE: 69,191,127
14. France: 66,733,562
15. Russian Federation: 65,985,276
16. Malaysia: 46,317,632
17. Spain: 45,773,340
18. South Korea: 41,082,568
19. Thailand: 40,714,384
20. Mexico: 38,807,595
21. Hong Kong SAR, China: 34,206,136
22. Netherlands: 33,249,909
23. Singapore: 30,554,914
24. Philippines: 29,308,659
25. Saudi Arabia: 28,252,104

Air Travel Nightmare Worsened in 2014

UPDATED

https://feww.wordpress.com/2015/01/26/air-travel-environmental-nightmare-worsened-in-2014/

An Upside of the Economic Downturn

Airlines are flying less and polluting less, but that’s not enough!

Airlines carbon emissions may decrease by about 8 percent in 2009 because the airlines are slashing flights due to a drop in both cargo and passenger demand, Reuters reported.

“About 6 percent of the forecast carbon cut will come as a result of carriers flying fewer planes in 2009, and a further 1.8 percent reflects steps to improve energy efficiency [sic,]” the International Air Transport Association (IATA) was reported as saying.

IATA Director-General Giovanni Bisignani also reported that the airline industry will lose up to $5 billion in 2009 due to the economic slowdown.

Japan Airline (JAL), one of the world’s major airlines, has lost about 20 percent of its passengers and 40 percent of its freight business.

Horrendous Airline Stats

• How many are up there polluting our skies?

Related Links:

• Image of the Day: Flight Madness
• To & From New Zealand: Double Act of Eco-Terrorism
• Hundreds of millions worldwide face disaster
• Best News of the Day for the Environment!
• If You Are Flying to or Importing Food From New Zealand

Stop Polluting Our Air!