The economic benefits of air transport Air transport generates employment and wealth
Air transport’s regional economic benefits
Employment: Most air transport employment is in the developed regions of the world. Some 1.8 million people are directly employed in North America, 1.5 million in Europe and 1.2 million in Asia-Pacific. However, the air transport industry also makes a substantial direct contribution to developing and transition economies. For example, air transport supports 170,000 jobs in Africa, 165,000 jobs in the Middle East and 210,000 jobs in Latin America (see Regional Annexes from page 23)
GDP: The air transport industry in Europe and North America make the greatest contribution to GDP when comparing all regions. North America accounted for 37% of global employment in the aviation industry in 2004, but accounted for over 50% of the contribution of air transport to global GDP. Europe accounts for around 27% of global air transport employment and GDP (see Regional Annexes from page 23).