Explain any four merits and two demerits of air transport.

Advantages of Air Transport: The following are the main advantages: 1.High Speed: It is the fast speed means of transport. Passengers and goods can be transported easily from one place to the other. 2.Minimum Cost: Unlike railways and road transport, there is no need to spend money on the construction of any track or road, only airports have to be constructed. 3.Strategic Importance: An airway has great strategic importance. It can be used for internal and external security. 4.Easy transport of costly and light goods: It is quite convenient to send costly, light and perishable goods through air transport. 5.Free from physical barriers: Air transport is free from physical barriers like river, mountains and valleys etc. 7.Useful in natural calamities: During earth quake, flood, accidents and famine air transport is used for rescue operations. Disadvantages of Air Transport: 1.High Costs: Air transport is a costly service. Its operational costs are too high. Middle class and poor people can not affect its cash. 2.More Risks: Air transport is prone to accidents. A small mistake can be very dangerous for passengers. Hijacking of planes is easily possible. 3.Huge Investments: For creating aviation facilities, huge investments are required. The cost of aero planes, construction and maintenance of aerodromes and control mechanism needs a capital expenditure. read less