In today's rapidly evolving air transport environment, governments, airlines and airline authorities all face complex challenges, including concerns about the environment. Pressures arise from operating in an intensely competitive market with a growing need for stronger customer focus.

The air transport industry is increasingly under pressure to become more innovative, identify new differentiators and to re-design their business models. Areas of research and training where we are currently engaged include:

  • Environmental Impact – such as emissions modelling, surface access to airports and noise management.

  • Analysis of Air Transport Markets – airline and airport strategy and competition, particularly the effects of regulatory change on airline and airport markets.

  • Air Traffic Forecasting and Financial Modelling – producing independent airport and airline route traffic forecasts using techniques including econometric modelling, and linking the output of traffic forecasts to financial models.

  • Benchmarking of Airline and Airport Performance – using productivity indicators, for example airline flight crew productivity. 

We have worked with a number of partners from across the world including airlines, airports, regulators, operators and research councils.

About our research

Our greatest strength is the ability to combine the academic rigour and long-term perspective of a university with the commercial and business focus of industry.

Our excellence in strategic and applied research has enabled us to make significant contributions to the world around us for over 60 years. We address real life challenges and focus on research that is of strategic and practical importance.

We provide a supportive research community for students and our academic work is regularly published in journal article, book or thesis form.

Working with us

We have worked with an international client base for many years in air transport management related research and consultancy. Our academic experts have previously worked in industry which allows us to empathise with and understand the challenges our clients face.

Our approach involves a number of techniques such as facilitating brainstorming sessions, undertaking business diagnostics and providing professional advice. We can rapidly identify where improvements can be made and provide appropriate and impartial recommendations.

Training is an important part of service delivery with a portfolio of open courses covering a variety of subjects such as Airport Operations. We can facilitate the development of company-specific qualifications or provide in-company training. Attendees frequently include board/senior management members covering strategic issues. We can also provide one-to-one industry overview training for executives who without aviation backgrounds.

Clients and partners

Clients include:

Airlines
• Emirates
• Singapore Airlines

Airports
• Aeroports de Paris (France)
• Heathrow Airport (UK)
• Incheon Airport (South Korea)
• Schiphol Airport (Netherlands)
• Sulaymaniyah Airport (Iraq)
• Vienna Airport (Austria)

Regulators and Operators
• Civil Aviation Authority (UK)
• European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA)

Research
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Omega
• Supply Chain Research Centre.