How the air transport industry is preparing to move 10 billion passengers a year

Aviation is preparing to move twice as many passengers within a generation, without doubling the airports, the fleet, or the people standing at the borders. SITA’s Impact Report 2025 sets out how the industry is closing that gap, and the answer is increasingly software rather than concrete.

The industry will carry 8 billion passengers a year within 20 to 25 years, heading toward 10 billion by 2050, according to IATA. Drawn from a year of work with airlines, airports, governments, and travel partners worldwide, the SITA Impact Report 2025 tracks how technology is becoming the principal way the industry adds capacity, manages disruption, and reduces its environmental footprint.