Importance Of Airport Strategic Planning

As graphically illustrated in Figure 6, an airport strategic plan is the base for other planning initiatives. This strategic plan also defines the process planners should follow to achieve the airport’s vision. All the further planning processes have to be aligned, and support the airport’s strategic plan.

“Strategic planning differs from long-term planning. Goals and objectives defined as part of the long-term planning process are based on an extrapolation of current business trends. Strategic planning is about proactively thinking about and mapping the future and developing a creative plan that will enable the organization to reach its objectives in a non-static environment” (TRB, 2010). In the case of an already existing airport the in

It also serves as a guide for the day-to-day implementation of the strategic plan.

• The goals as defined in the strategic plan are also reflected in the airport master plan. This plan describes more detailed the strategies that have to be taken to obtain the goals that are set in the strategic plan. The masterplan is more focused on the development of the facilities, while the strategic plan has a much broader scope. The airport master planning process will be discussed in a next paragraph.

• The long-term strategies that are described in the strategic plan are also the basis for the more detailed land use

Speculative data on aviation activity are used in the forecasting process, as there are for example the number of aircraft operations, the kind of passengers, the aircraft mix over the short term (5 years), medium term and (10 years) long term (over 10 years) horizon. Also other, more detailed information has to be collected, such as the number of passengers that use the airport during the peak hours of the busiest day. The FAA for example, suggests that “the master plan accounts for the future trends in regional business and economic activity, the activity of competitor modes of transportation, and possible future trends in aviation, including airline mergers and new aircraft technologies” (FAA, Airport Master Plans, FAA Advisory Circular 150/5070-6B, 2005). The aviation forecasting also uses many other important data. Demographic indicators, like the average amount of leisure time, the level of disposable income per capita, the distances between urban centers in the airport region (airport choice), local politics measures, taxes, fuel costs, and the changing point of view toward air transport are examples of these indicators. (FAA, Airport Master Plans, FAA Advisory Circular 150/5070-6B, 2005). There are also a lot of other different variables used for aviation forecasting, but this depends largely on the selected forecasting