Davos 2025: How will aviation change in 100 years?
Many airlines have turned 100 by 2025. But will airlines be around in 2125?
Delta Air Lines turns 100 this year. It's not the first airline to be a century old. How will aviation change in the next 100 years? Think big. Think (really) long term.
I'm a product of aviation. Born in India, I grew up in Singapore. I was privileged to study in top institutions in Singapore and the US. I got my first job in Boston. Left that to start SimpliFlying. Moved to Uganda for two years after getting married. Then to Canada. I was then lucky to live in Qatar as part of a team starting a new airline a decade ago. Then back to Canada, then London and now in the US. I've been extremely fortunate to be born in an era where aviation has made the world so much smaller and more accessible.
I wonder what this world would look like for my kids and grandkids. What will aviation look like in a hundred years from now?
As Haldane Dodd shared recently,
Last year alone, 4.5 billion passengers travelled by air on more than 35 million flights across more than 67,000 routes served globally. Air transport connects the world like no other mode of transport can. Today, aviation supports almost 90 million jobs, and if the industry were a country, it would be the 20th largest country by GDP!
Aviation is also growing. Airlines in India have ordered more airplanes in the last three years than the rest of the world's airlines combined. Turkey, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia's airlines are set for massive growth.
Yet, if aviation continues to grow at the rate we are, its climate impact will be a quarter of humanity's by 2050. Will they have the licence to continue growing as an industry?
How do we balance growth with aviation's impact on the world? Will the next generations miss out?
Am I the only one feeling this way? What do you think it will take to rebuild trust, collaboration, and hope – not just for the climate, but for all of us?
At the World Economic Forum in Davos this week, I will give a speech about the next 100 years of aviation. I'd like to include your ideas too and share them with influential leaders. While I'm there, I'm hoping to share my insights on LinkedIn, so please comment and I'll personally do a video call with every 10th (unique) commentator.
If this resonates with you, share your thoughts in the comments – or even just leave a like or reaction to let me know I’m not alone in this. Let’s start a conversation about where we go from here.
Think BIG – blended winged aircraft, space travel, airline-operated holograms – you name it! Can we get to 100 ideas on this thread?