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FACTS, FIGURES, AND FORECASTS, 2019 PART II

It’s amazing how fast this data accumulates in a short period of time, so here’s the latest compilation in summary-highlights form for your reading pleasure.

Number of Laser Incidents in 2018
TSA Busiest Day Ever, And Various Interesting Stats
Global Airlines 2019 Profit Forecast Cut
European example of Trains competing with Air Service
CFM56 Milestone Achievements
US Aerospace and Defense Industry 2018 Performance
Interesting Highlights From the FAA Aerospace Forecast 2019-2039
Boeing 2019-2038 Global Pilot and Technician Outlook
Civil UAS (drone) Market Tripling in Size by 2028
2019 EAA AirVenture Fly-in numbers
Cargo Drones Activity and Forecast
IATA Reveals Airlines Carried 4.4 Billion Passengers in 2018, and other stats
Global ACMI will reach $7.07 B by 2025
Amount of money left behind at security checkpoints in 2018
Airline and Aviation stats regarding going Green
Airbus forecast highlights

Number of Laser Incidents in 2018 ¹

The FAA reported 5,663 laser incidents in 2018, down from 6,754 in 2017 and 7,398 in 2016. However, the substantial number of reported incidents clearly show that laser strikes on aircraft remain a serious threat to aviation safety.

TSA Busiest Day Ever, And Various Interesting Stats ^{2, 3}

TSA checked 2,792,525 passengers and crew members May 24, 2019 the last weekday before the long Memorial Day weekend. On an average day, officers see 2.2 million people pass through checkpoints.
Thanks to their vigilance and skills, TSA officers intercepted a record number of firearms in 2018:
- A record setting 4,239 total firearms were discovered in carry-on bags at checkpoints across the country, averaging 81.6 firearms per week. That’s an average of 11.6 firearms per day.
- 3,656 (86.15 percent) of the total firearms discovered were loaded – another record.
- 1,432 (33.74 percent) of the total firearms discovered had a round chambered.
- The most firearms discovered in one month – a record setting 32 – were discovered in August at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.
- Firearms were intercepted at 249 of the 440 federalized airports.
- That’s more than a 7 percent (282 more) increase in firearm discoveries from 2017’s total of 3,957.
Below are the top 10 airports that led in firearm discoveries in 2018:
- Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL): 298 – an increase of 53 compared to 2017 (253 loaded)
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW): 219 (193 loaded)
- Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX): 129 (120 loaded)
- Denver International Airport (DEN): 126 (95 loaded)
- Orlando International Airport (MCO): 123 (112 loaded)
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH): 117 – a decrease of 25 firearms compared to 2017 (115 loaded)
- Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL): 96 (80 loaded)
- Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS): 93 (76 loaded)
- Dallas Love Field Airport (DAL): 89 (83 loaded)
- Nashville International Airport (BNA): 86 (80 loaded)

Global Airlines 2019 Profit Forecast Cut ⁴

A combination of an escalating trade war and increased oil prices saw global airlines cut profit 2019 forecasts by 21% as the threat of an industry slowdown looms according to IATA which represents 80% of the world’s air traffic through approximately 290 carriers.
In 2019 overall costs are expected to grow by 7.4%, outpacing a 6.5% rise in revenues. As a result, net margins are expected to be squeezed to 3.2% (from 3.7% in 2018). Profit per passenger will similarly decline to $6.12 (from $6.85 in 2018).

European example of Trains competing with Air Service ⁵

Scandinavian carriers face stiff competition as a result of environmental awareness with an increase in the number of travelers going by train. In 2018, train passengers increased by 1.5 million and passenger numbers have increased by 8 percent, year on year, for the first quarter of 2019. In contrast and according to airport operator Swedavia, domestic passenger numbers in Sweden fell by 3 percent.

CFM56 Milestone Achievements ⁶

More than 33,400 CFM56 engines delivered to date
On April 24, 1982, the first-ever airplane powered by CFM56 engines, a Delta Air Lines DC-8-71 powered by the CFM56-2, took to the skies. In the years after that, CFM International would go on to add seven additional engine models that, today, power more than 20 different commercial and military aircraft types for more than 600 operators across the globe.
Recently, the CFM56 fleet established a new world record by becoming the first aircraft engine family in aviation history to achieve one billion engine flight hours.

US Aerospace and Defense Industry 2018 Performance⁷

The American aerospace and defense industry’s exports totaled $151 billion in 2018, an increase of 5.81 percent from the previous year.
A&D exports accounted for 9 percent of U.S. exports in 2018. Furthermore, the industry experienced a $90 billion trade surplus.
The A&D industry also produced $929 billion in economic output, which contributed more than $374 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product.
Within the U.S. workforce, the A&D industry was responsible for 2.5 million jobs, which accounted for 20 percent of manufacturing positions in the U.S.

Interesting Highlights from the FAA Aerospace Forecast 2019-2039 ⁸

Boeing 2019-2038 Global Pilot and Technician Outlook⁹

Civil UAS Market Tripling in Size by 2028¹⁰

The annual market for civil unmanned aerial systems (UAS) is set to almost triple in size from around $5 billion in 2019 to $14.5 billion in 2028, according to a new Teal Group report.
This represents a compound annual growth rate of 12.5 percent and a total market value of approximately $96.7 billion over the 10-year period.
Major sectors expected to increase drone use significantly include agriculture, construction, insurance, energy, communications, and delivery.

2019 EAA AirVenture Fly-in numbers¹¹

More than 10,000 aircraft
When the fly-in is active, the air traffic control is the busiest in the world
2,700 show planes
Over 1,000 home-built aircraft
100 Sea planes
FAA air traffic control crews handled 14,500 aircraft movements through nine days

Cargo Drones Activity and Forecast¹²

The global drone logistics and transportation market generated more than $24 million in revenue in 2018, a number that’s expected to grow to $1.6 billion in 2027, according to The Insight Partners. These drones could be the disruption needed in a global supply chain that’s been fairly stagnant since the 1950s.

IATA Reveals Airlines Carried 4.4 Billion Passengers in 2018¹³

New research from the International Air Transport Association revealed that airlines around the world carried 4.4 billion passengers in 2018, an increase of 6.9 percent from the previous year.
The IATA also found that efficiency reached record-breaking numbers, as 81.9 percent of available seats were filled.
Fuel efficiency also improved by more than 12 percent when compared to 2010 figures.
Flight availability is also on the rise, with 22,000 city pairs now connected by direct journeys, an increase of 1,300 over 2017 and double the 10,250 city pairs connected in 1998.
As for the cost of air transport, it has been cut in half over the last 20 years.
The region that saw the fastest growth in airline passengers during 2018 was the Asia-Pacific region. In total, 1.6 billion passengers in the region, an increase of 9.2 percent compared to 2017 and representing 37.1 percent of the global market share.

Global ACMI will reach $7.07B by 2025¹⁴

ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance) or the “wet lease” of an aircraft saw a significant amount of growth over the last few years, partially due to the ever-increasing demand of air travelers along with substantial growth in the number of airports paired with major airlines ready to receive new aircraft.
Aviation’s ACMI global market revenue is projected to reach over USD 7.07 B by 2025.

Amount of money left behind at security checkpoints in 2018¹⁵

$960,105.00 was left at airport checkpoints in 2018
According to the TSA, the unclaimed money will be used for training

Airline and Aviation stats regarding going Green¹⁶

Worldwide, commercial aviation is responsible for just 2 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions
The world’s airlines have a set a goal of reducing net CO2 emissions by 50 percent in 2050 as compared with 2005 levels.
Between 1978 and 2018, the U.S. airlines improved fuel efficiency by more than 130 percent, saving nearly 5 billion metric tons of CO2. That’s like taking 26 million cars off the road every year. And speaking of cars, while U.S. carriers account for less than 2 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, passenger vehicles account for more than 17 percent.

Airbus Forecast Highlights¹⁷

The world’s passenger and freighter aircraft fleet is set to more than double from today’s nearly 23,000 to almost 48,000 aircraft by 2038.
Traffic growing at 4.3% annually.
Resulting in a need for 550,000 new pilots and 640,000 new technicians.
By 2038, of the forecast 47,680 fleet, 39,210 are new aircraft and 8,470 remain from today.

Over ‘n out

Roy ‘Royboy’ Resto

AimSolutionsConsulting.com

¹ Educating the Public Helps Bring Laser Strike Numbers Down; FAA GovDelivery Communication, 4/11/2019

² https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/us-airports-saw-busiest-day-ever-friday-before-memorial-day-tsa

³ https://www.tsa.gov/blog/2019/02/07/tsa-year-review-record-setting-2018

⁴ https://www.aerotime.aero/iata.agm.seoul.live/22710-iata-downgrades-2019-financial-outlook-to-28b?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email

⁵ https://www.avitrader.com/2019/06/04/sas-to-eliminate-in-flight-duty-free-sales-in-bid-to-reach-reduced-emissions-target/

⁶ https://www.avitrader.com/2019/06/04/more-than-33400-cfm56-engines-delivered-to-date/

⁷ https://www.defensenews.com/industry/2019/06/10/how-did-the-aerospace-and-defense-industry-perform-in-2018/

⁸ https://www.faa.gov/data_research/aviation/aerospace_forecasts/media/FY2019-39_FAA_Aerospace_Forecast.pdf

⁹ http://www.boeing.com/resources/boeingdotcom/commercial/market/pilot-technician-services/assets/downloads/2019_pto_infographic.pdf