Guidebook for Strategic Planning in the Airport Industry

Airports provide critical connections in the operation of the transportation system and have significant multiplier effects on national and regional economies. To meet their social, economic, operational, and environmental obligations in the face of changing conditions, airports are undergoing dramatic transformations in business models, facilities, and social responsibilities. The airport industry, like other industries, is challenged when sudden or unexpected changes occur in the marketplace. Recent advances in long-term strategic planning have developed sustainable methods of managing change in the presence of uncertainty. Yet, the strategic planning process has not been widely embraced in the airport industry. Airport professionals and members of airport policy boards can and should use the strategic planning process to manage these transformations effectively and proactively. Leadership of airport industry associations should utilize the strategic planning process to identify and assess industry-wide issues of uncertainty and thereby encourage airports to use the strategic planning process. Applied research is needed to guide airport professionals, airport policy boards, and industry associations (AAAE, ACI-NA, and NASAO) in developing strategic plans and specifically plans that encompass uncertainty. The objective of this research is to develop a guide for airport managers that can be used to assist in the preparation of local airport strategic plans. The guide will define the characteristics of effective strategic plans and offer an appropriate process and tools that can be used to develop such strategic plans. The guide will also provide tools to assist airport managers in developing strategic plans that address plausible "deep uncertainties," and it will include the development of a portfolio of generic "deep uncertainties" and potential responses that can be considered by airport managers as they conduct strategic planning processes.

• Record URL:
  http://www.trb.org/TRBNet/ProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=143
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Results published as ACRP Report 20.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Completed
• Funding: $325000
• Contract Numbers:

  Project 3-09

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Federal Aviation Administration

  800 Independence Avenue, SW
  Washington, DC  United States  20591

  Airport Cooperative Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC    20001
• Project Managers:

  Salamone, Michael

• Performing Organizations:

  Ricondo & Associates, Incorporated

  Miami, FL  United States 
• Principal Investigators:

  Ricondo, Pete

• Start Date: 20071003
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 20090615
• Source Data: RiP Project 12155

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Air transportation; Airports; Passenger aircraft; Research projects; Strategic planning; Transportation planning; Travel demand; Travel demand management
• Subject Areas: Aviation; Planning and Forecasting; Security and Emergencies; Terminals and Facilities; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01462885
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Airport Cooperative Research Program
• Contract Numbers: Project 3-09
• Files: RIP, USDOT
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 2:12PM