In the beginning of the 21st century , subsonic military aviation focused on eliminating the pilot in favor of remotely operated or completely autonomous vehicles . Several unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs have been developed . In April 2001 the unmanned aircraft Global Hawk flew from Edwards AFB in the US to Australia non-stop and unrefuelled . This is the longest point-to-point flight ever undertaken by an unmanned aircraft , and took 23 hours and 23 minutes . In October 2003 the first totally autonomous flight across the Atlantic by a computer-controlled model aircraft occurred . Major disruptions to air travel in the 21st Century included the closing of U.S. airspace following the September 11 attacks , and the closing of northern European airspace after the 2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull
2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull
2010 eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull
History of transport