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ACA has been extensively involved in providing airport strategic business planning services. These services range from airport marketing and business development to master planning, airport management and organizational assessments, and decision analysis. ACA's Strategic Planning Services specifically include:

Airport role definition and demand forecasting.

Target market identification, marketing and market penetration.

Request for proposal drafting, process management and response evaluation.

Management and organizational analysis and evaluation.

Airport Minimum Standards Development.

Economic Impact Analysis.

FAR Part 13 and 16 Complaint Assistance.

Examples of ACA Strategic Planning Projects include long-term development efforts undertaken on behalf of the New York State Department of Transportation at Stewart International and Republic Airports, MidAmerica Airport marketing services, and other strategic projects undertaken for Kenosha Municipal Airport, Ft. Collins/Loveland Municipal Airport, John Wayne Airport, Blue Ash Airport, Van Nuys Airport and the Santa Maria Public Airport District. Each project is discussed below:

 

New York State Department of Transportation

The New York State Department of Transportation owns and operates Stewart International Airport in Newburgh, NY (a Small Hub, joint use facility with two industrial parks) and Republic Airport in East Farmingdale, Long Island (a G.A. Reliever for JFK). For the twelve-year period 1983 to 1995, ACA was the Department’s management contractor for all business development, marketing, public affairs and lease negotiating activities conducted at each airport and for each industrial park. In this capacity, ACA annually prepared and executed the airport’s strategic business development and marketing plans and operated the Airport’s properties department. The annual business development plan addressed opportunities and techniques for marketing scheduled airline service, charter service, air cargo and package express service, general and corporate aviation development, and non-aviation industrial and commercial development. The primary results of this program are listed below. To summarize briefly, revenues at Republic Airport more than doubled, revenues at Stewart increased seven-fold from $860,000 to $7.0 million, approximately 2,600 jobs were created and both Airports became financially self sufficient as a direct result of ACA’s efforts which included:

Development and execution of the annual strategic business development, marketing and public affairs plan.

Drafting and negotiating all airport leases, concessions, airline and FBO agreements and prerequisite RFPs.

Financial feasibility analyses, establishment and implementation of all rates and charges at each airport.

Stewart International Airport Results

Initiation of new scheduled air service by ten airlines and three charter operations to twenty major U.S. and two international cities, including all parking, car rental, gift shop, telephone, advertising, restaurant and lounge, taxi and limosine concessions associated with the air service and terminal building. RFP drafting and process management to accomplish same. $25 million project.

Negotiation, renegotiations and administration of existing and new air carrier agreements, including American, Delta, USAir and ten regional/commuter airlines. ACA designed and implemented Stewart’s compensatory rate structure.

Initiation of new scheduled domestic and international package express service and associated distribution facilities by Airborne, Emery Worldwide and Federal Express. $7 million project.

Attracting W.R. Grace and Co. corporate flight department from Westchester County Airport to Stewart. $4.5 million project.

Marketing and transformation of the W.R. Grace corporate hangar into an airline maintenance base for Atlantic Coast Airlines.

Attracting Cessna Citation Service Center from Poughkeepsie, NY. to Stewart $4.5 million project.

Attracting American Express Company corporate flight department from Westchester County Airport to Stewart. $5.2 million project.

Attracting new, comprehensive Fixed Base Operator services (AMR Services) to the Airport. $2 million project.

Creation of the AIP/Military Airports Program which has provided $24 million in MAP Grants to Stewart for a new passenger terminal and fuel farm.

Preparation of Stewart’s $76 million PFC Application, which was approved by the FAA on August 1, 1995.

Stewart International Airport Industrial Parks Results

356,000 sq.ft. can manufacturing and distribution facility for Anheuser Busch.

300,000 sq.ft. regional mail facility for the United States Postal Service.

245,000 sq.ft. warehouse and distribution facility for Child World, Inc.

40,000 sq.ft. "City Center Station" for Federal Express.

20,000 sq.ft. office building for CRS Computers.

50,000 sq.ft. specialized food processing plant for Grand Union Company.

50,000 sq.ft. manufacturing facility for Johnson Controls, Inc.

20,000 sq.ft. flight kitchen for Sky Chefs.

Republic Airport Results

Redevelopment of two fixed base operations and renegotiation of their leases to improve airport financial performance and assure FAA Compliance.

Negotiated the relocation and construction of a new corporate flight department complex for the Grumman Corporation. $5 million project.

Redevelopment of a 12.5 acre parcel of land for office and hi-tech manufacturing.

Land exchange to improve ILS minimums.

Negotiated the development of a 4.5 acre aerospace training center for the State University of New York. $5 million project.

 

MidAmerica Airport

ACA is presently engaged by St. Clair County, IL as the Marketing, Business Development and Strategic Planning Consultant for the MidAmerica Airport, Scott Air Force Base Joint Use Project. In this capacity, ACA is responsible for all strategic planning and on-going marketing efforts necessary to bring scheduled airline service, air cargo service, associated concessions and support services to MidAmerica Airport. ACA is also establishing the Airport’s rates and charges, lease and concession agreement formats and negotiating such agreements, as circumstances warrant.

 

Kenosha Municipal Airport, Kenosha, WI

In 1985, ACA was engaged by the State of Wisconsin and City of Kenosha to assess the appropriate strategic direction for Kenosha Municipal Airport, a G.A. Reliever for Chicago O’Hare and Mitchell International, and to prepare its Marketing and Management Evaluation and Plan. This plan consisted of a five year marketing and business development program, and a financial and management review of the airport. It consisted of the following elements and tasks:

Element I - Marketing Evaluation and Plan

Element II - Lease Evaluation and Plan

Overview and Evaluation

Overview

Competitive Airports

Minimum Standard Requirements

Market Development

Insurance Coverage

Airport Facility Development

Critique of Current & Previous Airport Leases

The Marketing Plan

Proposed Revised Lease

Element III - Management Evaluation and Plan

Element IV - Financial and Business

Overview

Overview

Management Capabilities

Assumptions

Management Alternatives

Projected Operating Results

Management Functions

Management Procedures

Operational Performance and Responsibilities

Element V - Economic Impact

Current Airport Configuration

Full Development (1992)

Summary of Survey Results

The City Council of Kenosha and its Airport Commission fully accepted the Plan and its recommendations. They closely adhered to them and implemented the Plan. The results have been quite successful. The Airport has doubled in size, capacity and based aircraft and brought considerable economic activity to the area. The airport’s financial performance has been significantly enhanced. This once sleepy VFR G.A. Reliever now has a control tower, an ILS, parallel runways and activity and based aircraft have more than doubled.

 

Ft. Collins/Loveland Municipal Airport

In 1990, ACA was engaged by the Cities of Ft. Collins and Loveland, Colorado to prepare a Strategic Management Plan for Ft. Collins/Loveland Municipal Airport. The objectives of this plan were to:

formulate the market niche and mission of the Airport;

formulate airport marketing policy objectives and plans;

address and create a favorable interaction of two municipal governments and their Councils in their directions to airport management in fulfillment of that mission; and

revise the airport management structure.

One of the prime objectives of this plan, to obtain scheduled airline service, was achieved by ACA in 1991 when it was successful in getting an airline service commitment from, and negotiating a lease with, Continental Express.

 

John Wayne Airport

When Orange County California constructed its new $200 million passenger terminal complex at John Wayne Airport, the issue was what to do with the old terminal building and its associated land and to plan development to accommodate general aviation demand. A previous Master Plan recommended use of the old terminal building as a general aviation service center. ACA was brought on board to conduct a general aviation economic study to determine general aviation demand for the airport vis-à-vis existing services and facilities and the recommended use of the old terminal building. After thorough review and analysis, including demand forecasts and the financial viability of aviation services at the airport, ACA determined that, with the exception of corporate aircraft facilities, demand for general aviation services and facilities could economically be met without use of the old terminal building as a general aviation service center. The resulting recommendation was to provide for corporate aircraft facilities on the site of the old terminal and provide a consolidated general aviation service center in existing and more suitable facilities that were not presently occupied. The recommendations were financially and economically quantified and a definitive General Aviation Master Plan was prepared with HNTB subcontracting from ACA.

 

Blue Ash Airport

ACA is presently engaged by the City of Cincinnati to conduct a comprehensive strategic master planning effort at Blue Ash Airport. This project is unique in that, in addition to preparation of the master plan in accordance with FAA criteria, the plan addresses the future of the Airport in terms of jurisdictional control, ownership and management, disposition and use of the Airport itself and/or excess airport land. Blue Ash Airport is owned by the City of Cincinnati, but is located outside the City limits within the jurisdiction of a neighboring community. The ownership and land use issues associated with this Master Plan made its associated financial analysis, demand forecast and facility requirements critical to its success. The approach taken was to immediately document, audit and critique every aspect of the Airport's financial operation so that it could begin to transition to self-sufficiency. Aggressive forecasts of aviation demand were then developed so as to assure their acceptability to the FAA. Facility requirements were then quantified based upon an optimized application of design criteria. The result of this approach is a Master Plan, supported by the FAA, State of Ohio, two local municipalities and the Airport users, that will transition a highly underproductive 230 acre site owned by an absentee municipality into a new 90 acre, financial self-sufficient airport, plus 140 acres of commercial/industrial development land, with both parcels to be owned and developed by the local municipality.

 

Van Nuys Airport

The rates and charges study ACA conducted for Van Nuys Airport was so well received that Los Angeles World Airports immediately contracted with ACA again in 1994 to determine the economic impact of its proposed noise control regulation for Van Nuys. In 1995, it contracted with ACA for a third time to prepare the demand forecasts, facility requirements and proposed land uses for the Van Nuys Airport Master Plan. In 1996, it contracted with ACA for the fourth time to prepare the Integrated Noise Model input data necessary to compile the airport’s noise contours for completion of its Part 150 Study. In 1997, LAWA again contracted with ACA to assess and update the economic impact of the imposition of a proposed Stage 2 Aircraft non-addition rule and associated operating limitations. That analysis was completed in July, 1998.

 

Santa Maria Public Airport District, Santa Maria, California

ACA conducted a study entitled "Airport Performance Review for the Santa Maria Public Airport District". The purpose of the study was to evaluate the operation of the Santa Maria Public Airport as a whole and recommend policies and practices to be implemented with the goal of achieving airport profitability, management efficiency and responsiveness. The first step in the study was to audit the existing management structure and its effectiveness in safely and efficiently managing the airport and its financial performance while responding to the needs of the airport tenants. Definitive recommendations were made on how to improve a less than desirable management environment. ACA's recommendations were well received by the Airport District and were fully implemented by it. The airport has achieved profitability in a management environment that is responsive to the needs of its tenants and user community.

 

 

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Last modified: March 09, 1999