Dear Colleagues,

Sharing a common global vision for the improvement of the world, accompanied by a framework that operationalises this vision, is a crucial step for the long-term sustainability of the planet and its people. Transport is responsible for a large share of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, and it is a significant contributor to climate change. In recent years, emissions from transport have risen compared to most other economic sectors, such as power production and industry. By way of example, transport emissions now account for more than one-quarter of the EU’s total greenhouse gas emissions. A major challenge is that the bulk of the energy still comes from oil, making any reversal of this trend difficult. Yet, other challenges loom over the horizon, such as geopolitical instability, asymmetrical information and market dynamics, or demand patterns. Indeed, as the world evolved, the demand patterns of people and freight are becoming increasingly complex and unpredictable, shaped by global megatrends such as demographic changes, digitisation of the economy and society, energy transition, and sustainable ambitions.

Aviation is no exception. The recent global turmoil due to the COVID-19 pandemic wreaked havoc on worldwide air transport markets. After several months of lockdown, bringing global networks to a halt, airlines now are struggling to cope with rising demand as skies are gradually opening. As past experiences evidence repeatedly, the aviation sector will most likely recover. Yet, the shape of that recovery remains unknown.

This Special Issue aims to gather contributions from transport policy and planning to help understand aviation markets worldwide, both the current situation and the future outlook. We would like to receive manuscripts covering the aviation value chain, including manufacturers, airlines, airports, ground handlers, and other relevant third parties. The manuscripts in this Issue should reflect policies and measures taken at different decision levels (i.e., strategic decisions, tactical planning, and operational outcomes) and cover passengers and freight.

The ultimate goal of this Special Issue is to provide a set of measures, policies, and actions toward sustainability.

We look forward to receiving your papers.

Prof. Dr. Rosário Macário
Dr. Vasco Reis
Dr. Sven Buyle
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• air transport
• transport emission
• aviation
• airline
• transport policy
• transport planning