As Chicago Convention turns 80, report highlights civil aviation’s socio-economic impact

CHICAGO, 5 December 2024 – As civil aviation celebrates 80 years since the signing of the Chicago Convention, the Air Transport Action Group (ATAG) released the latest edition of its Aviation: Benefits Beyond Borders report, which provides an in-depth look at the economic and social contributions of the global aviation sector and how it connects a globalised world. The report was presented today at the anniversary event in Chicago hosted by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

Haldane Dodd, Executive Director, ATAG said: “This report pays tribute to the spirit of the Chicago Convention, which has enabled connectivity across the world, supporting livelihoods and driving global growth. Eighty years later, aviation continues to link people and cultures while fostering international cooperation. Since 1944, more than 98 billion passenger journeys have been made. Last year alone, 4.4 billion passengers boarded 35.3 million commercial flights.

But the global impact of aviation extends far beyond connectivity. Aviation today supports 86.5 million jobs globally and generates an economic impact of $4.1 trillion, representing 3.9% of global gross domestic product (GDP).”

Key facts outlined in Aviation: Benefits Beyond Borders:

• Globally, aviation directly supports 11.6 million jobs and 20.4 million jobs indirectly. A further 17.2 million jobs are induced by the spending of aviation employees in the wider economy and 37.3 million jobs are supported by aviation through tourism.
• If aviation were a country, it would rank 20th in size by GDP.
• 8.17 trillion revenue passenger kilometres (RPK) were scheduled in 2023.
• 4,072 commercial airports are served by 1,138 airlines flying more than 29,000 aircraft on 67,300 global routes overseen by 162 air traffic management providers.
• Each day in 2023, 12 million passengers boarded a total of 96,577 scheduled flights.
• With nearly 61.4 million tonnes of cargo moved by air in 2023 –equivalent to $8 trillion or 33% of world trade by value – aviation remains essential for keeping supply chains running.
• Global airports invested approximately $49.2 billion in construction projects in 2022 alone, creating jobs, modernising facilities, and enhancing infrastructure to meet growing passenger and cargo demands.
• Looking ahead, forecasts show that by 2043, the sector could support 135.4 million jobs and contribute $8.5 trillion to the global economy.

Aviation’s biggest challenge: reaching net-zero

The report also outlines the activity underway across the aviation sector as it works towards net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The whole industry is committed to scaling up the production of sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). In 2023, the aviation industry used 500,000 tonnes of SAF, double the amount compared to 2022. When compared with conventional fuels, today’s SAF can reduce CO₂ emissions by up to 80% over their lifecycle.

To achieve the net-zero target, aviation will require around 490 million tonnes of SAF annually by 2050, with projected capital investments of $1.5 trillion needed over the next 30 years. Additionally, civil aerospace spends $15 billion annually on research to drive efficiency and support new technologies that will further reduce emissions.

The report, which can be downloaded here, was prepared by ATAG along with its member organisations and builds on extensive research by Oxford Economics.

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