Last year, for the first time, the Asia-Pacific region overtook North America as the largest aviation market. Figures issued by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) show that in 2009, 647 million passengers were transported by air in Asia compared to 638 million in North America.

Over a quarter of the 2.2 billion airline passengers flew in the Asia-Pacific region. In Asia, in the last ten years, China has surpassed Japan as the largest aviation market. There are currently 1400 planes in use in China, compared to 540 in Japan.

The IATA says that in 2009, the aviation sector suffered losses of 11 billion dollars due to the global economic crisis. Although recovery is evident in Asia, other regions are lagging behind.

The IATA represents 230 airline companies, jointly responsible for 90 percent of all commercial flights. Most price fighters are not members of the IATA.

Photo: China Eastern aircraft (flickr / Mr Michael Pham)