http://www.airlinerworld.com 53A
viation is very much a
numbers game and those
numbers are rising to
unprecedented levels. New
technology is enabling us
to fly higher, further and faster. Boeing
set an industry record when it delivered
763 aircraft in 2017. Not to be outdone,
its European rival Airbus ended 2017
with an orders backlog of 7,265 aircraft,
boosted by commitments for 841 jets
in December alone, both of which are
industry records.
According to International Air
Transport Association (IATA) figures,Our
Biggest
Challenge
Growing economies
and the expansion of
global industries give
the aviation world
much to be optimistic
about. However,
IATA Director General
and CEO Alexandre
de Juniac warns of
challenges that need
to be overcome for
that potential to be
realised. Airliner
World’s James
Ronayne reports.
airlines connected more than 20,000
city pairs last year, an increase of 1,351
over 2016 and more than double the
number linked in 1996. These figures
have been boosted by the advent of low-
cost carriers in previously untapped
markets, which have opened up flying
to a whole new section of society in
countries such as India and Vietnam.
The association predicts more than four
billion people and a third of the value
of goods traded internationally will
travel by aeroplane in 2018. It also
estimates there are some 60 million jobs
directly linked to aviation and aviation
related tourism.
“International air travellers spend
about $750bn annually and by bringing
together people of different back-
grounds and cultures to do business,
to learn from one another and to solve
problems, aviation provides immense
value beyond what can be calculated,”
IATA Director General & CEO Alexandre
de Juniac, told journalists at theassociation’s Global Media Day in
Geneva in December. “That’s why I call
it the business of freedom.”Air Traffic Management
While a lot of focus has been placed
on finding the next generation of
pilots to address existing shortages,
not to mention fly all these aircraft that
Boeing, Airbus et al are producing, deIATA Director General
and CEO Alexandre de
Juniac. IATAAirlines connected in
excess of 20,000 city
pairs last year, more than
double the number in
- AIRTEAMIMAGES.
COM/ANGELO BUFALINO
The association predicts
more than four billion
people and a third of the
value of goods traded
internationally will travel
by aeroplane in 2018.