Air travellers up 6.4 pct in 2007 - airports body

By Robert Evans

GENEVA (Reuters) - Air travellers on domestic and international flights totalled 4.5 billion in 2007, up 6.4 percent on 2006 and marking a "banner year" for the industry, the global airports body ACI said on Wednesday.

ACI, the Geneva-based Airports Council International, said international freight traffic -- an indication of the health of world trade -- was up by 3.6 percent. But it warned that 2008 might not be so good for passengers or freight.

"The remarkable spurt of growth in international passenger and freight traffic made 2007 a banner year for air transport, particularly in thriving new markets in Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East," ACI Director General Robert Aaronson said.

The world's top airports were the two leading U.S. hubs of Atlanta, which processed nearly 90 million travellers, and Chicago O'Hare, which handled over 76 million, and London's Heathrow which saw 68 million pass through.

ACI said international travellers passing through its member airports in 175 countries and territories totalled 1.8 billion, up 8.2 percent on 2006, with the strongest percentage increase of 16.5 percent in the Middle East region.

Africa, with a total of just under 130 million air travellers, was up 13.7 percent.

The global total was some 400 million less than final passenger figures issued at the end of January by the airlines' global body IATA, but officials at both organisations said this was because they use different counting methods.

IATA saw international passengers up by 7.4 percent in 2007 and freight up by 4.3 percent.