Using capacity management to address issues of airport management

Airport management has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past 30 years. This development resulted from a combination of deregulation and privatisation, which required a greater focus on financial matters. This in turn has changed airport management culture and introduced a greater need to address productivity and cost issues. From this has emerged a profit-oriented management focus that seeks to reduce costs and increase profuctivity, while ensuring increased safety levels. One mechanism to achieve this is increasing capacity through management strategies rather than expansion policies. This also requires changes in the culture and organisational structure of airports. This is achieved through the adoption of capacity management techniques provided by improved thechnology together with cultural and organisational changes, particularly in group processess and organisational processes. The evidence from airport managment studies suggests that these changes result in premium management skills with an emphasis on proactive management approaches to commercial issues.