Air Transport in Europe
Air Transport is fundamental to European mobility, prosperity and political cohesion. It plays a vital role in facilitating European economic growth and social inclusion, providing revenues to otherwise isolated regions and helping people broaden their horizons. Air transport plays a crucial role in the integration of an enlarged Europe, supplying essential links between Europe’s regions and with the rest of the world.
A viable aviation sector is essential to the sustainable growth of the European economy. As a pioneer in single-market liberalisation, a global competitor and a key driver in innovation, it is key to the achievement of the Lisbon agenda. Aviation creates more than 4.2 million jobs in Europe, a figure that should double by 2020, and contributes more than EUR 235 billion to European GDP.
The 35 European established service and scheduled network carriers represented by the AEA collectively carry 380 million passengers and 6,2 million tons of cargo each year, operating 2,670 aircraft serving 650 destinations in 167 countries with 11,100 flights a day. They provide around 405,000 jobs directly, and generate a total turnover of EUR 86 billion.