Aviation contributes 2% of the world's carbon dioxide emissions and is expected to rise to 3% by 2050.

The number of passengers on Australian international flights increased to 22.3 million in 2006–07, up 4.7 per cent on the previous year. Growth is driven mainly by Australian residents travelling overseas rather than the arrival of international visitors. The number of international flights has also increased by 1.3 per cent to 119 271.

Freight on Australian international flights has continued to grow. The Sydney–Auckland route has the largest share (7.9%) of total freight between city pairs.

Australia’s domestic airline industry continues to operate at high levels with a record 45.3 million passengers carried in 2006–07, 6.0% higher than 2005–06.