Past and future developments of the global air traffic

Abstract

This paper gives an overview of the development and structure of the global and regional air traffic markets. The number and geographical distribution of flights together with the aircraft types needed to satisfy the demand for passenger and cargo transport are analyzed. Air traffic market developments are described from a traffic- oriented perspective. Environmental and economic aspects are not subject of this discussion. Thus this paper addresses the following six topics: global development of the air transport system, regional distribution of the air traffic, airport development and bottlenecks, airlines, aircraft types, and outlook of air traffic development.