P4 Transport development - air

The aviation industry in travel and tourism includes airlines and airports. The sector is heavily dependent on aviation for transporting passengers to their destinations. In 1954 Boeing introduced its new passenger jet aircraft, the Boeing 707. The  Boeing 707 began commercial service in 1959 and dominated the market. The Boeing 727 was introduced in 1963 and has been one of the most successful series of passenger jetliners of the past 50 years. In 1969 Boeing produced the 747 jumbo jet. This was a wide bodied jet. The 747 can seat 500 passengers, even though it usually only holds 385. It travels at about 965 kilometers per hour. This aircraft had the following impact on the package holiday market;

• it became possible to fly further in less time, making long-haul destinations more accessible
• increased capacity on the jet led to a decrease in the price per seat, bringing the price of holidays down
• as jumbo jets were used more, smaller aircraft were available for charter operations.

In 1976 British Airways, in collaboration with Air France, started the first supersonic airliner service, Concorde. Concorde stopped flying in 2003, but it had set the standard for luxury air travel.

Super Planes

The Airbus A380 can seat between 555 and 800 passengers. Singapore Airlines was the first airline to fly the plane on an inaugural flight to Sydney in 2007. It was also the first airline to fly the superjumbo to Paris in 2009. However, airports which accept the aircraft have to make changes to infrastructure in order to accommodate the large plane and the large numbers of passengers boarding and disembarking.

Another new aircraft is the 7E7 Dreamliner introduced by Boeing. It has lower operating costs and fuel consumption than the current Boeing 767 and a greater flight range, so it is expected to be a popular choice for airline fleets.