ABSTRACT
One of the air transport industry's several urgent needs is clearly to reduce total operating costs. In this chapter the author suggests joint action within the industry in matters as traffic development, selling agencies and, as far as possible, maintenance. Unlike America, where operating statistics are kept by the Civil Aeronautics Board and where relative costs can be studied by those who wish to profit from the experience of others, detailed analyses of air transport economics are rarely published in the country. Serving all purposes, the aircraft must be easily adapted for the carriage of either passengers or freight as the principal load; and to carry a pay-load ranging from 3,000 lb. to 8,000 lb. according to the distance between refuelling points. An operating cost averaging 68.67 cents per aircraft-mile means a cost of 3.46 cents per seat-mile, with an aircraft providing accommodation for 20 passengers.
