ABSTRACT
In the second half of the twentieth century and the early years of the twenty-first century, the aviation industry grew to become a major contributor to the world’s economy, making about 55 million flights a year worldwide (over 150,000 flights per day) by 2005 and carrying about 1.6 billion passengers. World War II had stimulated rapid development in aviation technology. It became apparent in the early 1940s that the civilian air transport industry was poised for rapid growth whenever the war was over. But for air transport to prosper there were both technical and political obstacles to overcome.
