Airport Business Development
- Stratus Business Development
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
The U.S. is home to more than 5000 public use airports. Around 500 are considered "commercial service" facilities because they host regularly scheduled airline operations.
The focus of this article is on the 4500 airports around the country that exclusively serve private, corporate, charter, and other types of (unscheduled) operators. These airports are an incredibly valuable resource to their communities, regions, and the country.
Unfortunately, most are very well kept secrets.
Promoting and developing a small(er) public airport need not be complicated nor expensive. The airport manager does not have to be a marketing or BD expert. For many, a well built, informative website will be the starting point of a formal business development strategy.
Here are some tips for building an airport business development plan:
Get started - Dedicate some actual time, even an hour or two, each week to business development. Put it on your schedule and stick to it.
Start small - It's a mistake to build a 50 page BD plan if there is no money or time to run it. Set some modest objectives and tasks out of the gate.
Tap into local resources - The best sources of BD support are your local businesses and users. Team up with the FBO, flight school, avionics shop, etc. to build a pool of expertise and resources. In some cases, the local city or county has community development resources and professionals that can help.
Encourage community engagement - Host events, work with your local Chamber of Commerce, collaborate with local schools. The airport should not be cut off from it's community.
Ask questions - Talk to pilots, operators, and aviation business owners at your airport AND other airports to find out what they need. What would make your airport a better operating environment. A bit of lighting and some vending machines could very well encourage more use of your airport.
Take advantage of free resources - The FAA, state departments of aeronautics, and a variety of aviation organizations offer free information and guidance.
For many airports, even a modest BD effort can have a positive impact on operations, community relationship, and revenue.
Since 2014 Stratus Business Development has been helping our aviation clients achieve greater success. We support and advise a variety of aviation organizations with consulting and project management services.