It was obvious from the earliest days of civil aviation that the industry must be regulated. Passengers cannot assess the airworthiness of a plane before they board. While an airline that did not maintain its aircraft would acquire a poor reputation after its planes crashed, that is rather too late for the victims. Even if we were content for market forces to police the relationship between passengers and carriers, few would be content to allow unsafe planes over the skies of London and New York.

It was also obvious that planes would be more reliably maintained by well run businesses with sound commercial strategies and adequate financial resources. So regulators came to review not just the safety procedures of airlines, but their business practices and profitability. As the scope of regulation grew, those unhappy with the performance of airlines naturally began to ask what the regulator was doing to address their concerns. Many regulators took up the challenge.