DISTANT DESTINATION AND ORIGIN TRIP PURPOSE FOR AIR TRAVELERS BALTIMORE-WASHINGTON BI-REGION Departing Air 1. Business Re lated to Fed- 2. Business Unre lated to Fed % (1) (WNA) (DIA) (FIA) (WNA) (DIA) (FIA) (WNA) (DIA) (FIA) 34% 26% 20% 40% 38% 28% 53% 59% 52% Total % Base in Thou- B. Arriving Air 1. Business Re lated to Fed- 2. Business Unre lated to Fed 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% (28.7) (.4) (5.4) (14.8) (.8) (4.7) (2.5) (5.6) (4.2) 40% 46% 29% 43% 42% 31% 61% 47% 52% Total % Base in Thousands (6 days) 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% 100% (30.5) (1.2) (6.6) (13.2) (.8) (5.3) (2.5) (4.2) (1.9) 27-254 O 70 pt. 29 FUTURE PROSPECTS In June 1967, a group of air transportation experts from industry, government, and the academic community were asked to join the Transportation Workshop. This workshop was to "... make a systemsoriented study of the national air transportation system and its interfacing modes, with special emphasis on the future." Six workshop panels were created to explore the following matters: 1. Socio-economic trends and their potential impact on air transportation 2. The air vehicle 3. Air traffic control 4. Airports and terminals 5. Collection and distribution of passengers and air freight 6. Government policies and trends The report of the Transportation Workshop, 1967, was published by the MIT Press as: Air Transportation 1975 and Beyond, A Systems Approach, ed. by B. A. Schriever and W. W. Seifert. This section is excerpted from that publication and summarizes those findings that are particularly pertinent to the development of air facilities for the National Capital Region. IMPACT OF GENERAL AVIATION ON U.S. AIRPORTS Integral to the anticipated growth in overall general aviation flying will be the companion growth of U.S. airports and related facilities. FAA statistics of October 1966 reveal a total of 9,566 airports in use in the United States at the end of 1965. This is a 60 percent increase in the past 10 years from the low reached in 1958 of 6,018 airports (down from 6,839 recorded in 1955). The general aviation inventory in the same 1958-1965 time span rose 40 percent, while air carrier inventory increased 20 percent. There also seems to be a general correlation between the size of the general aviation fleet and the number of recorded U.S. airports. It is significant that U.S. airport growth, as an economic impetus to the national economy, will depend almost entirely on the demands of the growing general aviation situation and not on the airlines. The airlines today serve fewer than 550 of a total of almost 10,000 U.S. airports, the remainder being used by general aviation exclusively. Moreover, 68 percent of all domestic airline passenger traffic is concentrated at just 22 major population centers (27 airports). Even at airports which cater to the airlines, general aviation aircraft predominate in movements. At the 302 airports where FAA maintains a control tower and thus provides published detailed statistics on aircraft movements, general aviation aircraft account for seven out of 10 movements. GENERAL AVIATION'S ROLE IN PASSENGER DISTRIBUTION It was estimated that in 1966 general aviation carried more passengers (half of them intercity) than the scheduled air carriers. In the same year there were more than 3,000 air taxi operators, over 100 of them operating scheduled services. They carried more than three million passengers. In 1967 there were more than the 300 daily scheduled air taxi flights in and out of the New York City area. The FAA calculates that the present air taxi fleet of 6000 will increase to 13,000 by 1975. These statistics indicate that the air taxi business is growing rapidly and will play a substantial role in tomorrow's integrated air transportation system. There are more than 9000 airports available to air taxi operators which do not have scheduled airline service. One major domestic airline estimates that more than 30,000 passengers per month travel to and from scheduled air carrier flights by air taxi. One air taxi freight operator deposits 40,000 pounds of freight per week at his air freight terminal. It is this great flexibility and capability of operating in and out of a multitude of community airports that gives general aviation a role in the air distribution system. The air taxi business is now a $100 million industry, and this figure is expected to double by 1972. The general aviation aircraft manufacturers have recently recognized the impact of this segment of air transportation and are now providing several all-purpose aircraft designed specifically for the air taxi business. General aviation is generally split into two major subdivisions: scheduled and unscheduled. These actually represent four classes of service: scheduled, nonscheduled, contract, and charter. Unfunded and practically unregulated, the industry has grown by satisfying a need for these four types of service. If properly developed, air taxis will be able to handle 5 to 10 percent of the future collection and distribution load at major hub airports. General Aviation Trends: Summary 1. General aviation in 1965 began what appears to be a long-term, steady growth. The most reliable predictions indicate a total fleet size of 172,000 by 1975 (up from 95,000 in 1965). A straight-line projection indicates a total fleet of 300,000 by 1985. 2. Of the general aviation craft used for transportation, the fastest growing segment is the air taxi group, expected to grow from 5,700 in 1965 to 30,000 by 1985; personal flying is next (50,000-200,000) and business flying is third (21,500-48,000). |