The industry faces headwinds due to the rising of environmental concerns and decades of lack of innovations.
There was a time when flying played a big part in a trip experience: a mix of anxiety and excitement, that typically occur when one is about to get on a rollercoaster, and the smiles of glittering people in uniform that made us feel special.
Nowadays, though, most of us got used to all of this; flying has become stressful, time-consuming and not that fun after all. Secondary airports may suffer from peaks of costumer arrivals and make the security checks a nightmare when personnel is understaffed. Queuing for everything, and long journeys on transport links, often make other ways to travel more competitive than a domestic flight.
Still, air transport plays a huge role in today's world. Rising numbers of economic migrants and the affordability of exotic places resulted in positive profit margins for the airline industry in the last ten years. Not to mention the positive economic outcomes: the only Jesper island, which would probably be irrelevant without an airport, contributes with 9 billion to the UK economy.
But, as it is said, all that glitters is not gold. A flight over Europe produce 400 kilograms of CO2 on average, the equivalent of 600 non-catalysed cars. If you have a look at 'FlighRadar24' website, you will be impressed by how many aeroplanes are above our heads at this very moment. Airlines companies seem to commit to resolving the issue, and the concepts of the aeroplanes 'Bird of Prey' (Airbus) and 'Flying V' (KLM) might achieve better performances. But, will the new designs make air transport sustainable? Lifting an object will always be more energy-consuming than rolling it over after all.
What impresses the most is the lack of innovations compared to other types of transport. The most important 'changes' have been, since the booming of long-range routes in the '70, the size of aeroplanes and terminals, and the introduction of commercial activities at airports. While the increasing volume of passengers handled leads to a loss of 'human scale' and disservices, indispensable innovations to address problems collide with the nature of the so-called 'legacy sectors': changes are viewed as counter-productive for the business and undermine well-established firms interests.
Despite resistances, new trends in airport design and management are under trials. Those include a roofed-only terminal with flexible spaces -IKEA-style- for versatility, the option of off terminal bag handling, solutions to manage stress and anxiety, especially during queuing. But the real challenge for innovators is the elimination of barriers and the need for heavy planning of several waiting stops, security checks, baggage collection, massive parking and link infrastructures. Nowadays, almost 50 per cent of the terminal is occupied by complex, fixed pieces of equipment. The future is open but limited: as other types of transport, the infrastructure of the past limits developments and alternatives of the future.
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