Aviation Industry Overview

What percentage of global trade by value is sent by air?

What is the estimated value of the global gross-domestic-product supported by the aviation industry?

How many passengers do airlines transport annually worldwide?

What percentage of business-to-consumer e-commerce parcels in the U.S. are carried by air?

What is the largest aviation market in terms of passenger traffic?

How many active pilots are there in the U.S.?

What can airports be described as, depending on their size and complexity?

What is a common feature of large commercial airports?

What is the purpose of describing stakeholders and activities at a large commercial service airport?

What was the primary responsibility of the Aeronautics Branch within the Department of Commerce?

What is the current agency responsible for the tasks originally assigned to the Aeronautics Branch?

When was the first airport management trade organization established?

What was the name of the program adopted by the AAAE in 1954?

What was the original location of the first meeting of the AAAE?

What was the result of the reorganization of the Commerce Department’s Aeronautics Branch in the 1930s?

The Air Commerce Act and FAA Responsibilities

The Air Commerce Act created an Aeronautics Branch within the Department of Commerce, responsible for fostering air commerce, issuing and enforcing air traffic rules, licensing pilots, certifying aircraft, establishing airways, and operating and maintaining navigational aids.
These responsibilities are now under the control of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The Development of Commercial Aviation

The first airport management trade organization, the American Association of Airport Executives (AAAE), was established in 1928 with 10 airport directors attending the National Air Races at Mines Field (now Los Angeles International Airport).
By 1954, AAAE adopted the first professional accreditation standards for its Accredited Airport Executives (A.A.E.) program.

Airport Structure and Operations

Airports can be simple systems with a small runway and a few hangars, or they can be large, metropolis-like centers with tens of thousands of employees and hundreds of thousands of passengers.
The structure and operations of airports vary greatly, but they can be broken down into common categories, such as stakeholders and activities.

The Importance of Aviation

Aviation is a crucial driver of global economic development, with over a third of all trade by value sent by air.
The industry supports over 65 million jobs worldwide, contributing $2.7 trillion to global gross-domestic-product.
The speed and reliability of aviation enable "same-day" and "next-day" product delivery, making it a critical business component worldwide.

Aviation Statistics

The United States is the largest e-commerce market globally, with nearly 90 percent of business-to-consumer e-commerce parcels carried by air.
Worldwide, airlines transport over 4 billion passengers annually, with the U.S. accounting for slightly over 22% of the world's scheduled passenger traffic.
Asia/Pacific passenger traffic levels are the highest, with over 34% of global passenger traffic.
There are approximately 610,796 active pilots and 213,050 general aviation aircraft in the U.S.

Learn about the importance of the aviation industry in driving global economic development, its impact on job creation, and its contribution to global trade. Discover the significance of air transportation in the global economy.