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environment on an airplane changes the
way food or drink tastes.
About one in five people have some form of
fear of flying, or “aviophobia.”
The risk of being killed in a plane crash for
the average American is one in 11 million.
The risk of being killed in a car accident is
one in 5,000.
Research shows that the first three minutes
after takeoff and the final eight minutes
before landing are when 80% of plane
crashes happen.
Police arrested a woman and her daughter
when they tried to smuggle the woman’s
dead husband in a wheelchair onto a plane.
They had covered his eyes with sunglasses
and told authorities he was just sleeping.
If you sit at the back of an airplane, your
odds of surviving a crash are 40% higher.
Employment in the Aviation Industry
(Source: AVIATION Benefits Beyond
Borders)
The aviation industry supports 65.5 million jobs
around the world, either directly within the industry
or supported through the industry’s supply chain,
employees’ spending and through the aviation-
enabled tourism sector.
10.2 million direct jobs
Around 10.2 million people work in the aviation
industry directly. These jobs are:
●
Airport operators: 525,000 (work for the
airport operator)
●
Other airport-based roles: 5.6 million (retail,
car rental, customs and immigration, freight
forwarders and catering)
●
Airlines: 2.7 million (flight and cabin crews,
executives, ground services, check-in,
training, maintenance staff)
●
Civil aerospace: 1.2 million (engineers and
designers of civil aircraft, engines and
components)
●
Air navigation service providers: 233,000
(air traffic controllers, executives)
These jobs are, on average, 4.4 times more
productive than average jobs in the economy.
10.8 million indirect jobs
Over 10.8 million jobs globally are supported
by aviation indirectly, through the air transport
industry’s purchase of goods and services.
These include suppliers to the air transport
industry, for example fuel suppliers, construction
companies, suppliers of aircraft components,
manufacturers of goods sold in airports, and a
variety of business support roles, like call centres,
IT and accountancy.
7.8 million induced jobs
Air transport industry employees (direct and
indirect) support 7.8 million induced jobs globally,
using their income to purchase goods and
services for themselves. Their spending power
supports jobs in retail, consumer goods, and a
range of service industries such as banks and
restaurants.
36.7 million jobs in tourism
Tourism is fast becoming the world’s largest
industry, and air transport plays a vital role.
Conservative estimates suggest that aviation
supports 36.7 million jobs within tourism.
Adding Value to the Economy (Source:
AVIATION Benefits Beyond Borders)
The aviation industry connects the world in a
unique way, adding immense value to the global
economy. It supports USD2.7 trillion in world
economic activity (3.6% of global gross domestic
product (or GDP). This section provides a global
picture of economic activity supported by aviation.
USD704.4 billion direct GDP
The world’s airlines carry over four billion
passengers a year and nearly 62 million tonnes
of freight. Providing these services creates 10.2
million direct jobs and contributes USD704.4
billion to global GDP.
The global air transport industry is larger than
both the automobile manufacturing sector and the
pharmaceutical manufacturing industry by GDP. In
fact, if air transport were a country, its GDP would
rank 20 th in the world, similar to that of Switzerland
or Argentina.
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