European airlines have experienced radical change over the last thirty years. Some of the major factors include:

- The European and US markets have been de-regulated

- Environmental constraints have grown in significance

- Oil prices remain volatile

- Congestion at airports and in the air has increased and slot ownership has become important

- There is increasing competition from new and excellent Arabian and Asian airlines

- The low cost airlines are a dominant force in many EU markets and continue to evolve

- The internet has fundamentally changed distribution, and continues to evolve

- Global alliances have changed the competitive landscape and prompted fears of a regulatory backlash

- Express carriers and road & rail increasingly impact the air freight market

- New aircraft have influenced the development of the MRO market

- Airline services have increasingly been outsourced

- Some skills remain scarce and relationships with staff volatile

- Shareholders are more demanding of their executives and demand returns on their investments

There have been spectacular successes and a series of failures. The European market no longer sees LTU, Sabena, Swissair, or AOM. Instead it sees Air Berlin, easyJet, Ryanair and WizzAir. More failures and successes are predicted. A characteristic of success lies in the management, not just the top executives, and the ability to adapt to new market forces.

Notes on some current and previous contextual issues for airline managers may be accessed as follows.