W3 Airport commercial development — giving the customers what they want

1. The key to success in any business is to identify what the customer wants and then to find a way of providing it at a profit.

2. An airportfs primary function is to provide a point of interchange between modes of transport. Indeed some airport operators restrict themselves to this activity and face the financial consequences, which often leave them loss making and a financial burden on their community. However, many airport owners believe that they should derive benefit from the very substantial number of people who pass through their airports or who visit them or work on them. All are potential customers. Such airports pursue the commercial exploitation of their assets to turn losses into profits with benefits to passengers, to airlines and usually to local or national taxpayers. Indeed, no less a body than the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) encourages the full use of non-aeronautical revenues to minimise airport charges and therefore direct costs to airlines.