The first comparative study of the complicated history of relations between the state and the air transport industry in Europe, this book travels from the earliest scheduled flights down to the era of liberalization and privatization in the 1990s. Martin Staniland concentrates on four key countries-France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom-exploring both the sources of support for airlines in Europe and the reasons why public ownership lost favor as the industry expanded. The author concludes by considering the crises and restructuring experienced by national airlines in the 1980s and 1990s, and by exploring the related political battles over liberalization and privatization.