The civil aviation sector of Australia comprises all the general sectors related to aviation, including the sector related to international airlines, domestic and regional airlines, aviation safety and other aviation training courses. Extreme activities like gliding, auto-gyrating and hang gliding are also a part of the aviation industry, as are the ultra-light aircrafts. The Australian aviation and transport has always remained a high revenue generating industry of the country but it has gained further momentum in recent years, as the country is increasingly become a favorite tourist destination. However, till date it is the Sydney International Airport, which remains the busiest international transit in the world. On an average, the airport caters to 240,138 million people annually and has a record of 254,487 aircrafts using its transit in 2001-02.
At present, the increasing number of Australian airports is being served by international airlines of both domestic and overseas category. Current records show that no less than 49 international carriers are scheduled to serve Australian cities. The number of passengers traveling by air is so large in Australia because, the country is situated at the extreme end of the earth and the best possible means to reach this wonderful tourist destination is, by air. However, one field where transportation by means of the aviation industry is yet to gain impetus is in the field of import and export where aviation has a meager 26.1% contribution. Although the term, aviation and transport in Australia go hand in hand, it should be noted that the aviation industry in Australia has a far wider role to play. Some of these responsibilities include; charter, offering flying training and allowing flights to be used in social activities like 'flying medicine'. Almost 40% of domestic flying is dedicated to charter and training.
The profitable aviation industry is presently attracting a lot of youngsters who want to step into this field and adopt a career in aviation. The survey results of June 2003 have shown a record of 30,676 persons holding a legal pilot license. The expansion of civil aviation has also led to civil aviation safety awareness and the Australian government has started the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, which is responsible for honestly investigating all accidents related to civil aviation, and adopts the necessary safety measures.
