Air transport

Among the different modes of transportation, air has experienced the fastest growth. Aviation provides 57 million jobs worldwide and transports over one-third of world trade cargoes. In 2013, over three billion passengers traveled by air (Bartsch 2013). More than 29 million scheduled flights are made annually and the growth has averaged about 5 % over the past 30 years (Belobaba et al. 2009).

Air transport ensures economic and social progress by connecting people, cultures, and countries, providing access to global markets, generating trade and tourism, and linking developed and developing countries. This mode consists of over 2,000 airlines with more than 23,000 commercial aircraft flying to over 3,700 airports worldwide (Belobaba et al. 2009).

Other than space flights, air transport is the fastest. Commercial jets can fly 955 km/h, while single-engine piston aircraft reach 555 km. The Bombardier’s CRJs and Embraer’s ERJs transport 30–100 passengers over shorter distances. The Airbus...