Santos Dumont: creation of the plane originated a billionaire sector – 07/20/2023 – Market

The development of the plane, which had the participation of Brazilian Alberto Santos Dumont, gave rise to a billion-dollar industry, which should profit US$ 9.8 billion in 2023, according to estimates by IATA (International Air Transport Association).

However, the sector remains concentrated in the Northern Hemisphere. North America and Europe, where income is higher, accounted for almost 60% of the commercial aviation market in 2022. Latin America accounted for 6.4%, and Africa, for 2.1%, according to data from the entity.

This Thursday (20), the birth of Santos Dumont completes 150 years. Considered the father of aviation by Brazilians, he made the first flight to a large audience in Paris, in 1906, with his 14 Bis.

At the time, several inventors around the world were trying to create devices heavier than air and capable of flying. In 1903, the Wright brothers invented a model that took off with the help of a catapult.

The feat, performed on a beach in North Carolina, USA, was seen by few people because the Wrights wanted to keep it a secret and try to create a business based on their invention. They did tests with various models over the next few years. In 1908, they closed the first contract to sell an airplane to the US Army and created a company to make exhibition flights.

To this day, military and civil aviation develop side by side. “The big manufacturers still build military aircraft based on technology that may have come from civil aviation, and vice versa,” comments Markus Ruediger, IATA’s director of communications.

The first scheduled airline would begin operating in Florida between St. Petersburg and Tampa in 1914, but it operated for only four months and used seaplanes. Each flight carried only one passenger, who would have to pay US$ 5 (which today would be equivalent to more than US$ 100) for the trip.

Months after these flights in Florida, the First World War began, which gave impetus to the manufacture of airplanes. Initially, they were used for spying on the enemy and later for attacks and combat. At the end of the conflict, in 1918, models used in the war for transport purposes and what was left over were sold by governments to businessmen, who began to create airlines.

However, the pioneering companies had financial difficulties due to lack of passengers. The solution came with the help of governments, such as the United States, which hired airlines to transport mail. This generated guaranteed and stable income, which allowed the expansion of services.

In the 1920s came advances such as more powerful engines and more elaborate fuselages made of aluminum instead of wood. It was also the era of aerial adventures, such as the first crossings of the Atlantic.

In 1922, Gago Coutinho and Sacadura Cabral traveled from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro, on a long journey of 79 days, which included several stops, problems and aircraft changes. Five years later, in 1927, it was easier: Charles Lindbergh traveled alone from New York to Paris, in 33 and a half hours nonstop.

Also in 1927, the first companies in Brazil, Condor and Varig, began operating with flights in the south of the country. Two years later, there would already be a New York-Rio-Buenos Aires route, with many stopovers along the way, for refueling, as was necessary at the time.

In the 1930s, more news: planes began to use radio technology to communicate with each other and with air controls, which facilitated navigation and increased safety. Larger models also appeared, such as the Douglas DC-3, capable of carrying 21 passengers and which became the most common commercial aircraft at the time.

During World War II, aircraft production soared and models became faster and capable of carrying more cargo and passengers. At the end of the conflict, there was a new boom in civil aviation.

In the following decade, companies began to adopt planes with jet engines, which generate more power to move the vehicle and lower fuel consumption. This led to the creation of longer flights with fewer stops and ever larger aircraft.

To attract more passengers, companies sought to increase services on board, such as serving meals and drinks, to give aviation an aura of glamour.

The arrival of larger planes allowed companies to take more travelers and thus make tickets more affordable. In 1964, Boeing launched the 737, the most successful model in commercial aviation and still in production. It is capable of carrying more than 200 passengers. A few years later, the American company would launch the 747, known as Jumbo, capable of carrying more than 400 travelers and crossing continents.

“One of the changes that most expanded the market was the 747, which allowed airlines to reduce costs and open new markets, such as the transatlantic, to many more people”, says Ruediger.

In the last decades of the 20th century, commercial aircraft received more automation systems and more economical engines, much desired by companies to generate fuel economy.

With the advancement, more modern planes, like the 777, are able to cross continents operating with only two engines, instead of four, like the 747.

At the beginning of the 21st century, there was also the advance of low-cost companies, in regions such as Europe and North America, as there was deregulation of markets and advances in technology, such as the possibility of buying tickets directly over the internet and being able to view them on the cell phone.

“30 years ago, you had to buy tickets with travel agents, computer systems for reservations were limited, this increased costs”, says Ruediger. “Aviation was once something for the few, but there has been democratization. Even in Latin America, many more people fly today than 30 years ago, because technology has reduced the cost of transport per passenger.”