Airport Stakeholders -  your untapped resource



For the majority of the developed world, the 1900's issued in an era of rapid growth, industrialization and modernization.  A fledgling airline industry grew rapidly from a loose federation of mail carriers, crop dusters and daredevils into a transportation giant threatening the Robber Baron railroads and offering the traveling public a new, exciting and luxurious way to move about the globe. 

Just as railroad stations like Chicago, New York and London were constructed in the grand style of the temples of ancient Greece, soon aerodromes and their passenger as well as cargo terminals grew from tin sheds and dirt runways to massive structures of magnificent grandeur.  Icons of the day, such as Berlin's Templehof  blended marbled columns, ornate entryways and Germanic efficiency to create a true monument to the evolution of a "modern" aviation industry  Throughout the globe, urban communities, towns, cities and indeed entire cultures grew from and around the transportation hubs of their day.

Today, some sixty-five years later, airports have become an integral part of modern urban society in all corners of the globe.  Communities surrounding our airports depend economically, socially and politically on the institution's very

This unique relationship between a stakeholder community and its local airport can perhaps best be demonstrated on the islands of the Bahamas and other archipelago States.  Here, where tourism is the major economic force, local resort owners, residents and government join together in active participation with airport operators and management.  Actively joining together on committees, ranging from "airport beautification" to the mandatory "airport security committee" ensures the continued welfare of each airport facility.

In today's turbulent economic times, whether located in a bustling urban center, or remote tropical paradise, individual airport administrators, managers and operators are beginning to turn to their stakeholders - as outside support groups - to acquire requisite manpower, supplies and funding for projects ranging from landscaping improvements to flashlights and radio equipment for first responders.

Modern aviation managers are beginning to re-examining their positions within the community, and evolving new ways in which both to provide a service to, and utilize the services of, their respective community stakeholders based on individual airport needs.
Taken as example, one might consider the Airport Security Committee, chaired by the Airport Manager and typically composed of representatives from the following: airport agencies
 
•    Operations
•    Security
•    Airport Fire Rescue
•    Servicing air operators
•    Tenants and FBO managers
•    Airport assigned Customs and Immigration Agencies
 
As well as municipal stakeholders such as:
 
•    Taxi and Livery companies servicing the airport
•    Local police and fire services
•    Area hospital(s)
•    Vendors and local businesses
•    Travel and tourism services
•    Municipal and State  Government
•    Local Press and Television Media

Able to serve a dual purpose, on the one hand, the ASC and its respective restricted committees ensure AVSEC and First Response compliance with current State, National, ICAO and TSA regulations, on the other hand, additional non-restricted committees provide an ideal vehicle for stakeholder involvement, providing a sense of airport ownership, and a venue for channeling resources to the airport as may be needed. More and more, individual airport administrators are being forced by both budget and circumstance to look outside the conventional procurement process and turn to community stakeholders.  Innovative thinking – outside the proverbial box - is rapidly becoming the norm rather than the exception particularly in areas where Federal, State and Private Grant funding is rapidly evaporating.