GRA provides air service development and related services to airports, advises governing authorities on airport policy, develops forecasts for master plans and other purposes, and has authored multiple research reports on the airport industry.
GRA’s airport clients have included U.S. airports of various sizes, with roles from multiple-airline hubs to spokes to general aviation airports. GRA has a proven history of gaining new international and domestic air service through its air service development practice. GRA has also provided its airport clients with:
- Granular traffic, revenue and profitability forecasts for prospective new routes
- Detailed and highly accurate forecasts of airport passenger traffic levels
- Risk and strategic analyses of airline mergers and consolidation on service levels
- Air service strategic plans
- Support for airline headquarters and air service development conference meetings
- Regular analysis of key air service metrics, trends, and comparisons to peer airports
- Economic impact reports
- Air cargo strategic analyses
- Analytical support for negotiations related to bilateral aviation agreements and frequency allocations
- Analysis of demographic data
- Air service incentive plan development
- Small Community Air Service Development Program (SCASDP) grant support
- Analysis of potential infrastructure investments
GRA provides airport regulation and policy expertise to the FAA, U.S. Department of Transportation, and other entities, including:
- The economic and financial feasibility of recent airport privatization efforts in the United States, including Paine Field, San Juan, and currently active projects
- Policy guidance and program support for FAA’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP) and Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) program
- The impacts of closing general aviation airports
- Airport benefit-cost analysis guidance and reviews of benefit-cost analyses in support of AIP grants
- Air carrier incentive program policy
The Transportation Research Board’s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) is an industry-driven, applied research program that develops near-term, practical solutions to airport challenges. GRA has authored a number of ACRP reports, with topics including:
BUILDING AND MAINTAINING AIR SERVICE THROUGH INCENTIVE PROGRAMS (ACRP REPORT 218)
CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND BENEFIT-COST ANALYSIS: A HANDBOOK FOR AIRPORTS (ACRP REPORT 199)
EFFECTS OF AIRLINE INDUSTRY CHANGES ON SMALL- AND NON-HUB AIRPORTS (ACRP REPORT 142)
IMPACT OF JET FUEL PRICE UNCERTAINTY ON AIRPORT PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT (ACRP REPORT 48)