Airport route development: A survey of current practice

To develop air services and in many cases tourism flows, airports focus their marketing effort on airlines through a process known as route development. Whilst route development is a well-known concept within the airport industry it has received limited attention in academic or industry literature. As a result little knowledge is shared about why airports use route development, what are the most common methods and what is the general level of involvement. To fill the gap, this paper investigates airport route development practice using an online survey of 124 airports worldwide. Findings show that the vast majority of airports are actively involved in route development for a range of objectives and that the process and level of involvement is extensive, although this often depends on airport size, location or ownership. Results are particularly relevant to airports that are less advanced in route development activities and also those seeking to debate route and tourism development strategies with stakeholders.