Towards ‘open skies’

In January 1977 Jimmy Carter, a peanut farmer from Georgia, became President of the United States. The Carter administration set off a chain of events that were to transform international air transport from a closeted and highly protected industry into a business that is more truly competitive and open. The transformation is not complete but the process of change should be finalised in the early years of the 21st century. The international airline industry can be understood only in the context of the changing regulatory environment within which it operates.