Jiwon Ma
The Economic Importance of Air Transportation
The aviation subsector includes commercial airlines, air cargo carriers, airports, aircraft manufacturers, and supporting infrastructure and companies, such as maintenance and repair service providers. It accounts for roughly 5 percent of U.S. gross domestic product and plays a crucial role in ensuring timely delivery of people and goods. Each day, U.S. commercial airlines transport approximately 2.9 million passengers and 61,000 tons of cargo across the United States and around the world.2
The aviation industry has recovered rapidly from the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by a sharp increase in passenger demand for air travel. In 2024, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported a 6 percent increase in the daily average volume of passengers passing through security checkpoints compared with 2023.3 This bump followed a 14 percent rise in passenger volume in 2022.4 With over one billion travelers in 2023, airlines filled an average of 83 percent of available seats per flight.5 This combination of increased demand and improved seat utilization boosted airlines’ net profits from $1.63 billion in 2022 to $7.8 billion in 2023.6
In today’s fast-paced global market, air cargo transportation offers a unique advantage over maritime, rail, and trucking, providing unmatched speed, reach, and reliability. While trucking and rail account for a dominant 70 percent share of domestic freight volume, they require longer transit times.7 Air freight is costlier but reduces transit times down from weeks to days. This makes it essential for transporting high-value, time-sensitive goods, such as pharmaceuticals and other critical manufacturing parts, particularly when other transport modes face capacity constraints.8
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