ABSTRACT
Tourism and transport are fundamentally integrated to provide both a means of transportation as well as an often important component of the tourism experience. Air transport in particular has substantial relevance for international tourism as it is the vector by which most international travel is realised. Beyond tourism, the provision of air transport bears strong correlation with economic development and productivity (which includes tourism), and thus overall competitiveness (IATA, 2007). The size of the air transport sector gives some indication of its importance to the wider global economy as well as the tourism sector that sits within it. Prior to the global recession, global passenger traffi c was measured by the International Air Transport Association at US$ 2.3 billion for both 2007 and 2008 (prior to the widespread recession). It was not until June 2010 that, according to the association, air travel demand fi nally returned to pre-recession levels.
