ABSTRACT
In 1997, the total scheduled international flights operated by the 705 carriers of the 185 contracting states of ICAO carried a total of approximately 1448 million passengers and 26 million tonnes of freight. In the same year, there were an estimated 16 993 operational aircraft (each carrying more than a weight of 9000 kg), which was a 59 per cent increase from 10 712 aircraft operating a decade ago. Also in 1997, 1309 jet aircraft were ordered (as against 1003 in 1996) and 674 were delivered in the same year.
