 The aviation industry and the government have together commissioned two significant studies into the economic impact of air transport , both undertaken by the consultancy Oxford Economic Forecasting ( OEF ) . The first ; The Contribution of the Aviation Industry to the UK Economy , was published in 1999 and was used as a source of economic information in The Future of Air Transport White Paper . The second study ; The Economic Contribution of the Aviation Industry in the UK , co @-@ sponsored by the national tourist agency VisitBritain , was published in October 2006 to extend and update the earlier report , and was used as a source in the Air Transport White Paper Progress Report 2006 . Both studies concluded that whilst aviation is an important industry in its own right , the most important contribution is as " … a facilitator of growth for the economy as a whole . " 
