Over the last decade, a very dynamic growth of the air transport sector has been observed. In the 2002-2012 period, the number of air operations doubled, and the increase in the number of passengers carried was almost fourfold.
Despite such high growth dynamics, the air transport market in Poland is immature and has great potential for further development. An inhabitant of Western Europe makes an average of 2.5 air trips per year, while the statistical Pole makes 1.5. It is projected that in the coming decades, the number of air operations in Poland will increase by an average of 2% per year, and the number of passengers by an average of 6%.
Increased transport needs require the expansion of existing airport infrastructure and the supplementation of the airport system in Poland with additional airports. Local governments are making efforts to use local airports and landing strips not only for civil and sports purposes but also for business. The development of air transport infrastructure and the stimulation of the number of air transport services is a sound direction in the context of increasing transport accessibility and strengthening the development opportunities of regional and subregional centers. However, for this development to take place in a sustainable manner, the development strategy of the air transport sector should take into account all benefits and costs incurred by both direct users and society.
Research on the external effects of air transport constitutes an element of the analysis of external costs generated by the entire transport sector and is also the main goal of scientific studies. The purpose of this article is to characterize the external costs of air transport, with particular emphasis on aircraft noise and air pollution caused by air transport means, to relate this information to the air transport market in Poland, and to estimate the level of external noise costs. The first part of the article presents the issue of external costs of air transport. Subsequently, a review of methods for their estimation was carried out, and an attempt was made to relate this information to the air transport market in Poland using the example of the airport in Warsaw. At the end of the article, conclusions were formulated.
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Source: Logistyka Magazine