The major changes taking place in technology have some of the greatest effect in the world of aviation. Yet, in an industry which started with the concept of 'open skies', each sector has traditionally developed on its own and adjusted to developments in other areas as and when required. The need for integration is particularly important as the skies become increasingly crowded. More intense commercialization dramatically increases the interlocking between technological developments and the size of the financial investments required. For maximum efficiency the aviation system thus has to develop as an integrated whole with a greater awareness of events in other sectors. This book is intended to meet this requirement by addressing the breadth and depth of the aviation system and looking at some areas where significant advances are happening. While following the processes of development, the reader will see where the results might lead in the new century. Its three parts concentrate on areas of great significance - in integration as well as in technological progress - especially for their impact on human and social aspects. The editor and the invited contributors are amongst the foremost experts, researchers and industry leaders in their fields in the global aviation community, many with hands-on experience of massive change. The intended readership includes those who are moving into management functions in air traffic management, airplane manufacturing and airline operations; in training centres, colleges and institutions.

Aviation has grown leaps and bounds within the last decade. Aviation courses and training at all levels have shown an exponential increase around the globe. There has been a restricted focus on writing books in this sector of the economy, mainly due to the shortage of expertise in this specialist and complex area. This book was written with the purpose of meeting this need of the aviation sector. Due to the diversified nature of aviation knowledge, which includes flying, engineering, airports, allied trades for aircraft and airports, airline and airport management and operations, education, etc., one text alone will not suffice and do justice to address all these areas. It is envisaged to develop subsequent parts of this book to cover all these knowledge areas. This book is the first installment of any subsequent books and explores issues including airline management and operations, airline business models, airport systems, flight operational procedures, aircraft maintenance, runway safety management systems, and air traffic management. In particular, attention will be given to aspects such as analysis of air traffic in a domestic market, runway safety management systems, critical success factors for multiple MRO service providers, key pain points of the industry to be addressed to move into the future, new research on hub airports for international flights, new business models for airlines, and runway safety management systems. This book is useful to aviation managers, educators, students, and professionals interested in any of the above issues.

As recently as the summer of 2001, many travelers were dreading air transportation because of extensive delays associated with undercapacity of the system. That all changed on 9/11, and demand for air transportation has not yet returned to peak levels. Most U.S. airlines continue to struggle for survival, and some have filed for bankruptcy. The situation makes it difficult to argue that strong action is urgently needed to avert a crisis of undercapacity in the air transportation system. This report assesses the visions and goals for U.S. civil aviation and technology goals for the year 2050.

The Next Generation Air Transportation System's (NextGen) goal is the transformation of the U.S. national airspace system through programs and initiatives that could make it possible to shorten routes, navigate better around weather, save time and fuel, reduce delays, and improve capabilities for monitoring and managing of aircraft. A Review of the Next Generation Air Transportation provides an overview of NextGen and examines the technical activities, including human-system design and testing, organizational design, and other safety and human factor aspects of the system, that will be necessary to successfully transition current and planned modernization programs to the future system. This report assesses technical, cost, and schedule risk for the software development that will be necessary to achieve the expected benefits from a highly automated air traffic management system and the implications for ongoing modernization projects. The recommendations of this report will help the Federal Aviation Administration anticipate and respond to the challenges of implementing NextGen.