Air Transport Policy and Planning

Course summary

Airports increasingly present a major infrastructure constraint to meeting the demand for air travel. Expansion of air services often conflicts with other government policy objectives and is becoming a highly contentious topic. Meanwhile, the regulatory framework for air transport continues to evolve. This seminar aims to address a number of key issues of interest to airport and airline planners and managers and those formulating air transport policy.

Measures to expand airport capacity will be considered in relation to both terminals and runways and the interaction with surface transport. Economic and environmental issues will be interpreted. The implications of airline strategies for airports will be addressed, with particular reference to changing patterns of passenger demand and airline operations. Methods for improving the efficiency of operations will be evaluated, including research needs in forecasting and marketing. Government policy in the UK and other countries will be discussed.

We will consider the following topics:

• measures to expand airport capacity in relation to both terminals and runways and the interaction with surface transport
• economic and environmental issues
• the implications of airline strategies for airports, with particular reference to changing patterns of passenger demand and airline operations
• methods for operating airports more effectively, including research needs in forecasting and marketing
• government policy in the UK and other countries

Who is this course for?

This air transport seminar has been designed to appeal to a wide range of participants including airport planners, managers and operational staff, airport specialists in government departments, airline executives involved with airport planning, analysts from aircraft manufacturers and consultants.

Course structure

This 3 day course is based around lecture sessions, including questions and discussions on topics such as:

• airport capacity and management issues
• sustainability in airport development
• new runway options for Heathrow
• current issues in the economic regulation of aviation (including alliances, anti-trust, unfair competition and consumer rights)
• policy issues in African aviation
• managing the effects of aircraft noise
• airline competition issues: a case study of London and New York
• airport demand and capacity decisions
• developing an airport for air cargo
• climate policy and the take off in Asian mobility
• intermodal competition
• liberalisation – unfinished business