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The European aviation safety organization EUROCONTROL predicts that the number of flight movements in Germany alone will double in the years between 2003 and 2025. This growth generates new jobs at airports and at aircraft manufacturers. However, the growing volume of air traffic also has a sizable downside: noise pollution, the emission of pollutants and greenhouse gases, and a continuously growing demand for fuel.

Aeronautical Industry Demonstrates Above-Average Growth

For years now, the aeronautical industry has been demonstrating above-average growth. In 2007, turnover topped the 20 billion euro mark. Even if the current economic conditions worldwide are having a negative impact on air transport efficiency, EUROCONTROL forecasts the long-term doubling of flight movements in Germany by 2025 compared with 2003.

At present, air traffic is responsible for only some three percent of worldwide greenhouse gas emissions. But given that it is also the fastest-growing mode of transport, its share will increase enormously unless we find new ways to reduce specific fuel consumption. If we want to be able to cope with the increase in air traffic that has been forecast for the coming decades, innovative technologies will have to be developed that allow growth in traffic volume without substantial increases in the strains this places on man and the environment.