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Guidebook for Developing General Aviation Airport Business Plans

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 77: Guidebook for Developing General Aviation Airport Business Plans is designed to help airports develop and implement an airport business plan and maximize financial self-sufficiency.

The guidebook identifies the role, value, and the compelling reasons for having an airport business plan as it applies to all sizes of airports; highlights the elements of an airport business plan; and addresses each step of the development and implementation process.

The print version of the report includes a CD-ROM, which provides the option of learning the material by watching a series of presentations. The CD-ROM also provides worksheets that may be helpful in gathering the information necessary for developing and implementing an airport business plan.

The CD-ROM is also available for download from TRB’s website as an ISO image. Links to the ISO image and instructions for burning a CD-ROM from an ISO image are provided below.

Help on Burning an .ISO CD-ROM Image

Download the .ISO CD-ROM Image

Note: It has been reported that some users of the CD-ROM have been asked for a password when attempting to open the spreadsheet. If you encounter this problem, the password to use is 6825510.

CD-ROM Disclaimer - This software is offered as is, without warranty or promise of support of any kind either expressed or implied. Under no circumstance will the National Academy of Sciences or the Transportation Research Board (collectively "TRB") be liable for any loss or damage caused by the installation or operation of this product. TRB makes no representation or warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, including without limitation, the warranty of merchantability or the warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, and shall not in any case be liable for any consequential or special damages.

• Transportation and Infrastructure — Administration and Management
• Transportation and Infrastructure — Aviation
• Transportation and Infrastructure — Planning and Forecasting

Suggested Citation

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2012. Guidebook for Developing General Aviation Airport Business Plans . Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/22694. Import this citation to: Bibtex EndNote Reference Manager

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5.4 Airport Business Planning

There are multiple tools that can be used for the planning and operation of the airport to help maximize the revenue and value to the community. These tools include business plans and/or strategic plans; missions and vision statements; and strengths, weakness, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analyses.

ACRP Report 20: Strategic Planning in the Airport Industry Explores practical guidance on the strategic planning process for airport board members, directors, department leaders, and other employees; aviation industry associations; a variety of airport stakeholders, consultants, and other airport planning professionals; and aviation regulatory agencies.

ACRP Report 77: Guidebook for Developing General Aviation Airport Business Plans Provides guidance designed to help airports develop and implement an airport business plan and maximize financial self-sufficiency. The guidebook identifies the role, value, and compelling reasons for having an airport business plan as it applies to all sizes of airports; highlights the elements of an airport business plan; and addresses each step of the development and implementation process.

FAA Order 5100.38: Airport Improvement Program (AIP) Handbook Referred to as the AIP Handbook. Provides the policies and procedures on the implementation of the AIP based on the enabling legislation. It covers who is eligible for an AIP grant; what projects can be funded and the required project justification; project procurement requirements; allowable costs; the grant process, oversight and payments; letters of intent; State Block Grant Program; Military Airport Program; Innovative Finance Demonstration Program; Voluntary Airport Low emissions Program (VALE), and other programs. The appendices of this document detail the requirements for specific types of projects.

Florida General Aviation Airport Business Plan Guidebook Provides a guidebook and examples of small airport business plans. Tailored to Florida airports, but much of the information can also be applied to small airports in other states.

Don't bother with copy and paste.

Get this complete sample business plan as a free text document.

Airport Shuttle Business Plan

Start your own airport shuttle business plan

Valley Airporter

Executive summary executive summary is a brief introduction to your business plan. it describes your business, the problem that it solves, your target market, and financial highlights.">.

This year Valley Airporter plans to transport over 20,000 passengers. To accommodate those passengers, we plan to purchase three brand new 20-passenger buses to replace older 14-passenger buses.

The new buses are needed because of the expansion of airport service. The schedule has continually expanded over the years from three times a day, Monday through Friday only, to ten trips each weekday and nine trips on Saturday and Sunday, 365 days per year.

Valley Airporter operates out of Corvallis which is home to Oregon State University.  Over 18,000 thousand students attend the university.  In addition, there are over 120 high-tech businesses in Corvallis.  Though there is a small airport in Corvallis and a regional airport in Eugene (50 miles south of Corvallis), most travelers prefer to use the Portland International Airport, which is 70 miles north of Corvallis.

Bob and Mary Wilson, co-owners of Valley Airporter, will invest in the purchase of the new vans.  The owners will also secure a long-term commercial loan.

1.1 Mission

The mission of Valley Airporter has been to assure safety, convenience and comfort to every customer.

1.2 Keys to Success

• Valley Airporter’s chauffeurs are experienced, professional, commercially certified drivers.
• The office staff is professional, friendly and helpful going above the call of duty for customers.
• Valley Airporter is a caring company that continually donates time and services to community schools and other organizations.

Company Summary company overview ) is an overview of the most important points about your company—your history, management team, location, mission statement and legal structure.">

Valley Airporter is a successful airport shuttle service that transports passengers between the Portland International Airport and Corvallis. Valley Airporter has office space in the Clairmont Inn, as well as long-term parking for customers.

2.1 Company Ownership

Bob and Mary Wilson are co-owners of Valley Airporter.

2.2 Company History

In April 1998, three 14-passenger vans were converted to 11-passenger vans with rear luggage area and Valley Airporter began. Valley Airporter plans to travel over 2,000 miles per day, transporting over 20,000 passengers.

To accommodate those passengers, we plan to purchase three brand new 20-passenger replacement buses. All buses are equipped with seat belts and high back reclinable seats for comfort and safety. The schedule has continually expanded over the years from three times a day weekdays only, to ten trips each weekday and nine trips on Saturday and Sunday, 365 days per year.

Valley Airporter provides airport shuttle between Corvallis and Portland International Airport. The shuttle makes ten trips Monday through Friday and nine trips on Saturday and Sunday, 365 days per year. 

Departure Times To Portland International Airport:

• 3:00 a.m. (Monday to Friday only)

Departure Times To Corvallis from the Portland International Airport:

• 9:00 a.m. 

Market Analysis Summary how to do a market analysis for your business plan.">

There are a number of environmental factors that create an increasing demand for shuttle services between Corvallis and Portland International Airport. 

• The city of Portland has the states only international airport.  The regional airport in Eugene (50 miles south of Corvallis) has flights to Portland but those flights cost more than the shuttle service from Corvallis.
• The city of Corvallis has experienced tremendous growth during the past three years.  Enrollment at Oregon State University is up 20%.  More importantly, the city is home to a number of high-tech businesses that serve an international market.
• The cost of long-term parking has gone up 20% at Portland International Airport. The cost is now 10$ a day.

4.1 Market Segmentation

Valley Airporter will focus on two significant customer groups:

• University students, staff, faculty, and university visitors.
• Employees of high-tech companies.

Strategy and Implementation Summary

Valley Airporter has developed a strong customer support base at Oregon State University and numerous high-tech companies in Corvallis.  The expansion of services is in response to the growing demand by these repeat customers for additional shuttle times and greater capacity of buses. 

To facilitate increased sales at Oregon State University, the shuttle will pick up and deliver customers in front of the university’s bookstore on campus.

To increase ridership with high-tech companies, Valley Airporter will offer the round-trip fare package of $60 when a company purchases 10 or more round-trip tickets in advance.

5.1 Sales Forecast

The following is the sales forecast for three years.

Management Summary management summary will include information about who's on your team and why they're the right people for the job, as well as your future hiring plans.">

Bob and Mary Wilson, co-owners of Valley Airporter, both perform management duties. Mary is the office manager and bookkeeper. She supervises the office staff and oversees the customer service.  Bob supervises and schedules the shuttle drivers and is responsible for vehicle repair and maintenance.

6.1 Personnel Plan

The staff for Valley Airporter is as follows:

• Office manager
• Shuttle manager
• Full-time drivers (3)
• Part-time drivers (2)
• Office staff (2)

Financial Plan investor-ready personnel plan .">

The following is the Financial Plan for Valley Airporter.

7.1 Break-even Analysis

The following table and chart show the break-even analysis for Valley Airporter.

7.2 Projected Profit and Loss

The following table and charts are the projected profit and loss for three years.

7.3 Projected Cash Flow

The following table and chart is the projected cash flow for three years.

7.4 Projected Balance Sheet

The following table is the projected balance sheet for three years.

7.5 Business Ratios

Business ratios for the years of this plan are shown below.  Industry profile ratios based on the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) code 4119, Local Passenger Transportation, are shown for comparison.

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Guidebook for Developing General Aviation Airport Business Plans (2012)

Chapter: summary.

Below is the uncorrected machine-read text of this chapter, intended to provide our own search engines and external engines with highly rich, chapter-representative searchable text of each book. Because it is UNCORRECTED material, please consider the following text as a useful but insufficient proxy for the authoritative book pages.

1 Guidebook for Developing General Aviation Airport Business Plans ACRP Report 77: Guidebook for Developing General Aviation Airport Business Plans is designed to help general aviation airport managers and policymakers develop and imple- ment an airport business plan. This resource has been prepared specifically for general aviation airport practitioners. This Guidebook and accompanying digital files were created to help general aviation air- port managers and policymakers gain a better understanding of (1) the value of an airport business plan, (2) the elements of an airport business plan, and (3) the process for develop- ing and implementing an airport business plan. In addition to defining an airport business plan (as a document that uses a logical and disciplined structure to set out goals, objectives, and action plans that drive the day-to-day operation and management of an airport), this resource discusses the interrelationships among the primary planning documents for airports (i.e., strategic plan, business plan, and master plan) and provides step-by-step guidance for preparing the elements of an airport business plan. This resource identifies three compelling reasons for an airport business plan, as follows: 1. A survey of general aviation airports conducted for the development of this Guidebook revealed that airports with business plans were more likely to (1) generate more revenue, (2) reduce or eliminate expenses, (3) secure more capital funding, (4) rely less on sub- sidies, and (5) create more jobs. A general aviation airport that accomplishes all these things is more likely to have a greater economic impact on the community and provide a stronger platform for aviation development as well. 2. Under Airport Sponsor Assurance #24, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires that any obligated (or AIP-funded) airport be as financially self-sustaining as possible given the circumstances that exist at the airport. One of the best ways to comply with Airport Sponsor Assurance #24 is to develop and implement an airport business plan that demonstrates the ways general aviation airport managers and policymakers are striving toward achieving the goal of becoming (or continuing to be) financially self- sustaining. 3. There is an expectation that a general aviation airport will be operated and managed as a public enterprise and having a business plan demonstrates good stewardship. In essence, an airport business plan serves as a flight plan for being a good steward of an airport’s assets. This resource discusses the value of an airport business plan as a planning, management, and communications tool. S U M M A R Y

2 Guidebook for Developing General Aviation Airport Business Plans As an important planning tool, an airport business plan (1) articulates the mission, vision, and goals for the airport; (2) sets forth the objectives for achieving goals; (3) identifies the action plans for accomplishing objectives; (4) establishes the parameters for checking prog- ress; and (5) provides the basis for making adjustments—as needed—to achieve the goals for the airport and realize the mission and vision for the airport. As a critical management tool, an airport business plan helps keep general aviation airport managers, policymakers, and stakeholders focused on achieving goals and realizing the mis- sion and vision for the airport. It also provides a plan for building on strengths, addressing weaknesses, capitalizing on opportunities, and managing threats. Most important, an air- port business plan provides the framework for making informed, prudent, and defensible decisions regarding the operation and management of an airport. As a vital communication tool, the airport business planning process provides the oppor- tunity for general aviation airport managers, policymakers, and stakeholders to engage in discussion regarding the current and future direction of the airport. Once implemented, an airport business plan provides the information needed to (1) demonstrate the role and value of the airport to the local community (or increase awareness); (2) justify investment in the airport (or build support); and (3) explain the airport’s financial performance and position (or foster transparency). This resource outlines the airport business planning process, which consists of three significant phases—preparation, development, and implementation. In this Guidebook, each of these phases is discussed in detail, examples are conveyed, and a series of worksheets and templates are provided to help facilitate the process and preparation of a plan. There are 11 chapters (5 essential chapters and 6 resource chapters) in this Guidebook. The resource chapters are designed to support the development of an airport business plan. Only those portions of each resource chapter that are relevant to achieving the goals established for the airport need to be consulted during the process. In addition to this Guidebook, resources are provided in a four-part set of digital files available on CRP-CD-19 (which is also available as an ISO image on the TRB website and can be found by searching for ACRP Report 77 on the TRB website). The resources include a series of narrated, self-directed presentations (or tutorials), a customizable presentation template, and digital versions of the worksheets and templates provided in this guidebook. The presentation template can be customized for the airport, the market, and the audi- ence. Once customized, the presentation can be used to educate, make the case for an airport business plan, and obtain buy-in from policymakers which is a critical step in the process. The digital versions of the worksheets and templates can be opened, modified, and saved for future reference or printing. This Guidebook also contains supplemental materials (a glossary of terms and bibliography) that can be referenced as well. This Guidebook and Accompanying Digital Files are Designed to Work Together This resource has been prepared based on the findings of the research conducted by a project team lead by Aviation Management Consulting Group, Inc. Additional members of the team included KRAMER aerotek, inc.; Gary R. Shafer; and Southern Illinois University. The research included a literature review, two focus groups, a survey of 238 general aviation airports, and interviews with 42 survey respondents.

Summary 3 The research revealed that diverse views exist about the nature, role, and value of an airport business plan. The research also indicated that budgets can be tight, staffing can be minimal, and resources can be limited at general aviation airports. Further, research participants at airports without a plan seemed to share a perception that developing and implementing an airport business plan could be a complex and resource-intensive task. This Guidebook and accompanying digital files (1) discuss best-practice approaches that simplify the process; (2) provide real-world examples that bring the plan and the process to life; and (3) contain easy-to-use resources, including worksheets and templates, that can be used by general aviation airport managers and policymakers as building blocks to success- fully develop and implement an effective airport business plan that can help maximize an airport’s financial self-sufficiency.

TRB’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Report 77: Guidebook for Developing General Aviation Airport Business Plans is designed to help airports develop and implement an airport business plan and maximize financial self-sufficiency.

The guidebook identifies the role, value, and the compelling reasons for having an airport business plan as it applies to all sizes of airports; highlights the elements of an airport business plan; and addresses each step of the development and implementation process.

The print version of the report includes a CD-ROM, which provides the option of learning the material by watching a series of presentations. The CD-ROM also provides worksheets that may be helpful in gathering the information necessary for developing and implementing an airport business plan.

The CD-ROM is also available for download from TRB’s website as an ISO image. Links to the ISO image and instructions for burning a CD-ROM from an ISO image are provided below.

Help on Burning an .ISO CD-ROM Image

Download the .ISO CD-ROM Image

Note: It has been reported that some users of the CD-ROM have been asked for a password when attempting to open the spreadsheet. If you encounter this problem, the password to use is 6825510.

CD-ROM Disclaimer - This software is offered as is, without warranty or promise of support of any kind either expressed or implied. Under no circumstance will the National Academy of Sciences or the Transportation Research Board (collectively "TRB") be liable for any loss or damage caused by the installation or operation of this product. TRB makes no representation or warranty of any kind, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, including without limitation, the warranty of merchantability or the warranty of fitness for a particular purpose, and shall not in any case be liable for any consequential or special damages.

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St. George’s airport got $15 million for a new tower. Here’s what happens next

When the St. George Regional Airport opened its gates in 2011, Airport Manager Rich Stehmeier said local leaders never could have imagined how quickly it would take off.

“In 10 years, it grew what we thought would take 30 years to do.”

Passenger traffic more than doubled from 2013 to 2023, when it served nearly 300,000 people. It’s one more example of southwest Utah’s growing pains , as Washington County’s population climbs past 200,000 people and millions of tourists descend on the area each year.

That’s why the airport asked the Utah Legislature to set aside $15 million in this year’s budget to build its first air traffic control tower — and got the money .

“Any time that you get that kind of support from the state, that's just amazing,” Stehmeier said. “And, you know, it just couldn't have come at a better time.”

Currently, flights in and out of St. George are controlled remotely by Federal Aviation Administration staff in southern California, so he said having a tower on site will help passengers fly more safely and with fewer delays as southwest Utah’s skies grow more congested.

In January, the city brought Gov. Spencer Cox to the airport as part of its effort to drum up support for the state funding, but at the time it wasn’t clear if the Legislature would be able to find room for the project in its 2024 budget. Part of the local contingent advocating for the state funds during that visit was leadership from SkyWest Airlines , a company based in St. George that operates flights through the airport.

“The growth here has in some ways outpaced some of the infrastructure, including the airport infrastructure,” SkyWest spokesperson Marissa Snow said. “[The tower] really has become a critical need even for what's happening today to keep the airport and our flights safe on a daily basis.”

The airport runs between eight and 14 commercial flights per day, Stehmeier said, but the total climbs to 250 daily takeoffs and landings when you include all private and corporate flights. Based on examples from airports in other cities, such as Provo, he said the new tower should allow the St. George airport to handle double or triple that amount of traffic in the future.

So, what are the next steps now that St. George has the state funding? First, the airport needs federal approval for where to put the tower.

In recent weeks, the FAA visited to study five potential tower sites and see which one has the best visibility. To do that, the agency had an air traffic controller stand at each site wearing a virtual reality headset — one of the first times the FAA has studied tower locations that way, Stehmeier said.

“They could actually look in the goggles, set themselves up at 70 feet in the air and look out their windows of the virtual tower to see exactly what they were going to see at our airport.”

The FAA is expected to approve the tower location within a few months, Stehmeier said. In the meantime, the airport is finalizing its design and doing an environmental impact analysis so it can be ready to begin construction once it gets the green light. He expects the project should break ground by late summer or fall and take around 18 months to build, which would put its likely completion date in the first part of 2026.

The airport’s preferred tower location would place it west of the terminal around the halfway point of the main runway. One advantage of that spot, he said, is that the ground there is already 28 feet higher than the runway so the tower wouldn’t need to be as tall.

That can have a big impact on the budget, Stehmeier said, because each additional foot of height on a tower can cost up to $150,000 to build.

“When you talk about costs … every 10 feet is a million dollars or a million and a half. So yeah, you start getting up there.”

When it’s done, the tower will be around 100 feet tall at its highest beacon and the FAA staff working inside will stand around 70 feet off the ground. Early renderings of the tower envisioned it as an octagon, but Stehmeier said local building codes may require it to be designed as a four-sided building instead.

He anticipates the tower’s total cost to be around $16 million, paid for entirely by the state money and funds the airport collects from usage fees. Because of the structure’s location, he said, the construction shouldn’t impact passengers.

For southwest Utah residents, the tower could also open the door to new destinations. Some airlines are hesitant to fly into an airport that doesn’t have its own tower, Stehmeier said, so he expects this project will make it easier to attract more flights. For instance, the airport hopes to eventually meet local demand for routes to West Coast cities like Los Angeles and Seattle.

Currently, SkyWest operates flights from St. George to Salt Lake City, Denver, Phoenix and Dallas for United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Airlines. Especially with the tower now officially on its way, Snow said the company doesn’t expect the city’s or the airport’s growth to slow down anytime soon.

“We're constantly evaluating potential routes and additional frequency into the market. And so, in order for any of that to be viable, it really has to come with a tower.”