air transport

Society

2022

We explain what air transport is, its history, advantages, disadvantages and types. In addition, characteristics of cargo aircraft.

Air travel dramatically decreased travel time over long distances.

What is air transport?

Air transport or transport by plane is the service of transferring passengers or cargo from one geographical place to another, through the use of aircraft, that is, vehicles capable of flying.

Although initially it was intended for passengers only, today it is also enabled for cargo. At present, air transport comprises an important branch of transport worldwide, being the most regulated and controlled sector of all, in part due to its potential for risk.

With its incorporation into the modern world in the 20th century, numerous possibilities of displacement they became real. He shortened the distances throughout the planet Earth and significantly decreased the weather required for long distance travel.

Air transport is perhaps the most far-reaching in terms of distances traveled. It is able to pass over seas, continents and geographical accidents of all kinds, but at the same time it is the most expensive and the one that has the greatest investment in technology required.

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History of air transport

The first airplanes were built in the early 20th century.

Since the invention of the first airplane prototypes in the early 20th century, air travel was one of the fastest developing forms of human transportation. The first steps in that direction were taken during the First World War, as part of the strategies on both sides to land troops more quickly and effectively.

However, after the WWII is industry It was more widely publicized, as thruster technology had advanced and more flights had been achieved. efficient.

In 1958, jet aircraft were incorporated into the British and American commercial fleets. Thus began a race for the innovation in terms of air transport. In 1970 the Boeing 747 arrived, capable of moving between 360 and 500 persons on regular flights.

The historical success of air travel has been such that it laid the foundation for space flight and space transportation, a industry yet to be developed.

Types of air transport

Broadly, air transport is classified according to two categories:

  • Commercial aircraft. Capable of transporting passengers and small amounts of cargo.
  • Cargo planes. Employees in the transport of all types of mobile goods, such as raw material, products processed, etc.

Advantages of air transport

Air transport can overcome any geographical accident.

The advantages of air transport are clear: covering enormous distances quickly and efficiently, connecting remote regions, overcoming geographical obstacles (cliffs, moutains, etc.) as well as lakes, seas or oceans, on partial or total flights, depending on whether you need to refuel.

This makes it the best way to get around for a person traveling with few items, and even for relatively moderate amounts of goods, compared to the capacity of ships, trains or other cargo vehicles.

Disadvantages of air transport

In contrast, air transport is the method the most expensive and technologically complicated form of human transport that there is, requiring huge investments in airports, whose monitoring and coordination of air traffic is constant.

Similarly, they are highly pollutants, since they require the burning of fossil fuels to propel itself, spreading waste gases throughout the atmosphere as it travels. Finally, although they are rare, air accidents are a mortal risk not only for the passengers, but also the pilots of the plane and the crew on board.

Characteristics of cargo planes

The planes can carry up to 50 tons of cargo.

Cargo planes are of a different nature. They are classified according to the technology that supports them and their total cargo capacity, the latter being the great limitation in all types of flights. A plane can put in the air a certain amount of weight, no matter what its content is about:

  • A small aircraft can store up to 30 tons of weight in its cargo hold.
  • A medium-sized aircraft can store between 30 and 50 tons of weight in its cargo hold.
  • A large aircraft can store up to 50 tons of weight in its cargo hold.

Ground transportation

If air transport travels through the air, land transport travels over land, that is, over the continental surface. That is, by land vehicles equipped with wheels (trucks, automobiles, etc.) or that run on rails (such as railways).

This type of transport can reach high speeds, depending on its nature, but it is always faced with the geographical accidents of the Earth crust and to rivers, oceans and lakes.

Marine transport

For its part, maritime transport is that which is carried out by means of aquatic vehicles capable of navigating the oceans and seas, such as ships and various types of ships.

This type of transport is essential for commercial exchange between continents or between islands and the mainland. In that sense, it is the mainstay of the globalized economy. Cargo ships, oil tankers, and vacation cruises fall into this category, to name a few examples.

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