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BITRE | Report 115Between 2000 and 2005, the annual average growth rate of revenue passengers onregional air routes was 6.8 per cent. Following the terrorist attacks in the UnitedStates in September 2001 and the collapse of Ansett Australia, revenue passengerson regional air routes fell to –8.4 per cent between 2000 and 2001, declining from11.5 million in 2000 to 10.6 million in 2001 with a further decline to 10.3 million in 2002.By 2003, the regional market showed signs of recovery with an increase of passengermovements on regional air routes to 11.6 million. High growth continued in 2004(14 million) and 2005 (at a record level of 16 million).Figure 3.1 Revenue passengers on regional air routes and air routes betweenmajor cities, 1984 to 2005501004590Revenue passengers (millions)4035302520151080706050403020Regional and major cities share of theAustralian market (per cent)019841985198619871988198919901991199219931994Passengers on all air routes in AustraliaPassengers on air routes between major citiesPassengers on regional air routes19951996199719981999200020012002200320042005Share of passengers on air routes between major citiesShare of passengers on regional routes0510Source:BITRE time series estimates.Figure 3.2 presents the number of revenue passengers on regional air routes by furtherdividing the data into revenue passengers on air routes between major cities andregional areas and revenue passengers on air routes between regional areas only.While the proportion of passengers on air routes between major cities and regionalareas exhibits a general increase over the years, the proportion of passengers on airroutes between regional areas has consistently declined. In 1984, the proportion ofrevenue passengers on air routes between regional areas constituted close to 32 percent of total passengers on all regional air routes. The proportion fell to 23 per centin 1992, 15 per cent in 2002 with a further decrease to 9 per cent in 2005.The number of revenue passengers on air routes between major cities and regionalareas increased from 4.4 million in 1984 to 14.5 million in 2005, an average annualgrowth rate of 5.6 per cent. On the other hand, the number of revenue passengerson air routes between regional areas decreased from 2.2 million in 1984 to 1.5 millionin 2005, an average annual growth rate of –1.5 per cent.62