The development of air transport in this century has been marked by advances in aeronautical technology.
Improvements in nonstop range, cruising speed, seating capacity,
passenger comfort, and operational safety have been remarkable and have
allowed a corresponding growth of international and domestic air
transportation services.
These improvements in aircraft performance were achieved by the aircraft-manufacturing industries developed by the governments of all the industrialized nations of the world following World War I, when aircraft emerged as a major factor in military power. The civil air transportation industry is the by-product of military aviation development by governments around the world. Whereas the European aircraft industry was in a leading position at the end of World War I, the policies and actions of the U.S. government between the world wars, and the large aircraft-manufacturing role assigned by the Allies to the United States during World War II, placed the U.S. aircraft-manufacturing industry in a predominant position at the end of World War II.
The
governments of the major nations of the world have also played a more
direct role in promoting the development of civil air transportation
services. While airlines may have begun as
private ventures, they were generally unprofitable, and governments were
easily persuaded that subsidizing air transportation was in their
national interest, especially for colonial powers.
National "flag" carriers were created and supported by most governments
as an expression of national pride and the health of their economy. They were used mainly for the rapid carriage of mail, government officials, and businesspeople between nations.
In the larger countries, such as the United States, Canada, and
Australia, there were political reasons to subsidize the development of
internal domestic services that would stimulate regional and national
economic development. Public subsidization
inevitably led each government to develop national policies and
regulations to direct the administration of civil aviation in financial,
economic, and safety matters.
As
air transport expanded, the construction of larger civil airports and
the provision of expanded air traffic control services became the
responsibility of governments. At the end of
World War II the United States led the world in establishing an
international body to promulgate international standards, recommend
practices for air navigation, and assist poorer nations in establishing
an aviation infrastructure that would ensure safety in international air
transportation. This body, the International
Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), is now part of the United Nations,
with a membership of 186 nations.
The
original reasons for governmental support are fading as improvement in
global telecommunications is reducing reliance on air travel, and a
larger portion of air travel is now being done by private persons for
personal pleasure in the form of global tourism, leisure vacations, and
visits to friends and relatives. Yet it may
very well turn out that increased electronic communication in business
and government may actually increase the need and desire for in-person
contact across the continents.
