Air Transport

Advantages

• Is very fast for example a trip to the Victoria Falls takes 1 hour 15 minutes by air and over 12 hours by road.
• Is comfortable
• Not affected by weather elements.
• Not affected by surface relief
• Can be used in times of emergency for example helicopters are used in air rescue missions such as after the earthquake in Nepal.
• Can cover large distances without the need to refuel.
• They can take direct routes.
• They can carry high value goods safely for example there are no air pirates.

Disadvantages

• Airspace is usually restricted and controlled by host countries as a matter of national security.
• They can be affected by extreme weather conditions e.g. cyclones.
• Cannot provide door to door services.
• Require expensive air ports to take off and land.
• Airports are usually located far away from residential and industrial areas which means additional modes of transport are required.
• They are very expensive to purchase and maintain.
• Accidents are almost always fatal and costly in damage terms.
• Prone to sabotage and terrorism.

To access more topics go to the Geography Notes page.