The number of annual passengers will grow 0.8% in 2014, to reach 745 million, according to the FAA. The total will continue to grow to 1.15 billion in 2034, according to the projection.
At the same time, the amount of miles that passengers pay to fly will rise an average of 2.8% a year, to grow a total of 76% over the next two decades, according to the FAA projection.
FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said the agency is working to improve safety through efforts such as shifting air-traffic control from ground-based radar to more precise satellite-based tracking, a project called NextGen.
"With healthy growth projected in air travel, the FAA has a tremendous opportunity to make a major difference in the industry," Huerta said.
Airport executives said the report signaled that more passengers would need more services.
Todd Hauptli, CEO of the American Association of Airport Executives, said the report helped justify a proposed increase in the federal cap on fees that airports charge each passenger for construction projects, to $8.50 from $4.50, and for more Customs and Border Protection officers for international arrivals.
"The forecast data released by FAA today makes abundantly clear that domestic and international aviation traffic growth is a reality that will soon add hundreds of millions of people to already crowded airports and international arrival halls," Hauptli said.
President Obama proposed raising the airport fee to $8, in exchange for removing large airports from a federal grant program. But Congress has been reluctant to raise the fee, which last changed in 2000.
"The aviation forecast is strong and we predict the use of our airports and airplanes will only rise, which is why we are committed to investing in aviation and taking the steps necessary to maintain improvement in the industry," Transport! ation Secretary Anthony Foxx said.
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