Industrial aviation - Sangyōkōkū

A business that uses aircraft to perform services other than the transportation of passengers or cargo, for a fee, in response to the needs of others. It is called an aircraft use business under the Aviation Act (Act No. 231 of 1952). It uses small fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft (helicopters) to carry out tasks that contribute to industry, such as spraying pesticides, pilot training, photography, construction cooperation, advertising, and inspection surveys. Unlike major air transport companies that use large aircraft for scheduled and irregular transport of passengers and cargo, most of these are small businesses. Their capital chains can be broadly divided into private railways, electric power companies, trading companies, manufacturing companies, and individuals. In addition, there are types of equipment ownership, such as those that own both small fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, those that own only small fixed-wing aircraft, those that own only rotary-wing aircraft, and those that own large aircraft for scheduled and irregular use and aircraft for business use. The characteristics of industrial aviation are that the proportion of industrial aviation in the number of aviation accidents is high, and that many of the companies are in the red due to the large number of companies and lack of growth in performance. In recent years, they have also entered the business of point-to-point transportation on remote islands using small aircraft. In this way, the role of industrial aviation has unique characteristics beyond complementing scheduled aviation.

[Masahiro Matsushita]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

他人の需要に応じ、航空機を使用して有償で旅客または貨物の運送以外の行為の請負を行う事業。航空法（昭和27年法律231号）では航空機使用事業という。小型の固定翼機か回転翼機（ヘリコプター）で薬剤散布、操縦訓練、写真撮影、建設協力、広告宣伝、視察調査など産業に寄与する作業を行う。定期・不定期で大型機を使用し旅客・貨物などを輸送している大手航空輸送企業と異なり、零細企業がほとんどである。その資本系列は、私鉄、電力、商社、製造会社、個人などに大別できる。また機材所有形態は、小型固定翼機と回転翼機の両方を所有する型、小型固定翼機のみ所有する型、回転翼機のみ所有する型、そして定期・不定期用の大型機と使用事業の航空機を所有する型がある。産業航空の特徴は、航空事故件数にみる産業航空の割合が高いことと、企業数が多いうえ実績が伸びないため赤字企業が多いことである。近年は、小型機による離島などでの2地点間輸送などの業務にも参入している。このように産業航空の役割は、定期航空の補完以外に独自な特性が発揮されている。

［松下正弘］

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