Author: Dr. Luis Martín-Domingo
Air transport history traces a rapid transformation from experimental flight to a global, regulated, and increasingly decarbonized system that underpins world trade, tourism, and connectivity. Each technological and institutional milestone—from balloons to jets, from state control to deregulation, and from security crises to climate commitments—has reshaped airline business models and the wider air transport ecosystem.
From the early twentieth century onward, air transport evolved from fragile machines carrying a handful of adventurous passengers to a mass‐market system moving billions of travelers and vast volumes of cargo each year. This evolution has been driven by four main forces: technological innovation (from piston engines to jets), regulatory change (from strict state control to liberal markets), geopolitical shocks (world wars, 9/11, COVID‑19), and growing environmental constraints culminating in global net‑zero commitments. Across these phases, airlines have continually adapted networks, fleets, and business models while international organizations and states have sought to balance safety, competition, security, and sustainability.
Content
- The origins of air transport (before 1920)
- The beginning of some of today’s airlines (1920–1945)
- International organizations are born (1940s)
- Jet engine innovation and its consequences (1960s)
- Air transport deregulation (1970s–1990s)
- The beginning of the 21st century: from September 11 to COVID (2001–2020)
- Fighting carbon emissions: from the Paris Agreement to 2050