The Regulation of Air Transport: From Protection to Liberalisation, and Back Again

The regulation of modern civil aviation can be traced back to the later years of the Second World War. An intense debate about the future regulatory regime resulted in a compromise which to this day essentially dictates the structure of the global airline industry. Further progress towards ‘normalising’ the industry appears to be slowing down, and perhaps even going into reverse. Without an understanding of the development of regulation, it is not possible to understand fully the industry’s current problems and how they might be resolved.

Many books have been written about the development of international air transport, covering deregulation, privatisation, the emergence of new business models among other things, but few if any have taken a broad view of the trends which have determined the industry’s current structure. The Regulation of Air Transport charts the development of aviation from the end of the Second World War to the present day, following the key trends and disruptive forces. It provides an overview of what has determined the industry’s current structure, the problems still facing the industry and the ways in which it could develop in the future.

This wide-ranging study is important reading for both professionals and academics within the aviation field, as well as anyone interested in the broader development of economic regulation.

Dr Barry Humphreys is an aviation consultant specialising in strategy and regulation. A former senior regulator with the UK Civil Aviation Authority and Director of Virgin Atlantic Airways, he subsequently chaired the trade body for UK airlines and was for several years a Non-Executive Director of NATS, the provider of air traffic control services in the UK. He currently chairs a start-up UK airline. In the 2016 New Year’s Honours List he was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to aviation and charity.