ANALYSIS OF CHANGES IN WORLD SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF PASSENGER AIR TRANSPORT IN THE YEARS 2005-2017

Abstract

Purpose. Identification of changes taking place in passenger air transport within a geographical context, analysis of factors affecting changes, assessment of their impact. Methods. Desk research. Analysis of foreign and domestic literature. Findings. The research revealed very significant changes in the spatial distribution of passenger air transport in 2005-2017. The Asian-Pacific region has become the largest region in terms of the number of transported passengers. The North American region has lost its position as the leader. The position of the Asian-Pacific region results from the rapid growth of passenger transport in countries such as China, India and Indonesia. The most important factors affecting changes in spatial distribution are: changes in the level of economic development, demographic changes, deregulation of air transport and its result, the development of low-cost airlines. Research and conclusions limitations. The availability and validity of statistical data in many important markets of air transport services is limited, a great impediment being the lack of data on the number of flights among residents carried out in some of the analysed countries. Practical implications. The research and conclusions formulated are the basis for determining development trends in tourism, especially international tourism. Originality. There is no review in the Polish literature analysing changes in world air transport. In synthetic form, the work presents the most important trends in this area regarding geographical layout. Type of work. Scientific review article.