Airport KPIs reveal industry financial performance amidst capacity challenges
Global airport revenue has grown in tandem with passenger traffic
London, 14 March 2019 – At the 11th Annual Airport Economics & Finance Conference & Exhibition in London, Airports Council International (ACI) World has published its annual Airport Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) which reflect developments in air transport demand.
Based on comprehensive data from the 2017 financial year, analyses of the KPIs reveal global airport revenues grew 6.2%, lagging the 7.5% growth in passenger traffic, to reach US$172.2 billion. This revenue is comprised of:
- aeronautical revenue: 55.8%
- non-aeronautical revenue: 39.9%
- non-operating revenue: 4.3%.
At a global level, total cost to the airport per passenger was found to be US$13.69 which exceeded significantly global aeronautical revenues per passenger (US$9.95). This illustrates the importance of non-aeronautical revenues – currently standing at US$7.08 per passenger – for airports’ financial sustainability.
ACI World has stated that, beyond physical capacity constraints, disproportionate regulatory regimes that hinder flexibility in setting the right level of charges represent an additional impediment to airport development and investment in infrastructure.
Industry return on invested capital (ROIC) stands at 7.4%. Eighty per cent of airports in the world are small – handling fewer than a million passengers per annum and 94% of these airports are loss-making.
“Global passenger traffic has reached record levels as airports continued to make a crucial contribution to furthering economic development and global connectivity,” ACI World Director General Angela Gittens said.
“While strong competitive forces continue to drive innovation and improvements in efficiency and service for passengers, airports face the challenges of meeting the continuing global growth in demand for air services. The airport capacity crunch is no longer a figure of speech. The question of financing new infrastructure is becoming the most fundamental one for the industry.
“The disparity between large and small airports, however, is a serious challenge when it comes to questions directly impacted by the level of traffic – profitability, investor attractiveness and overall competitiveness in attracting resources. The challenge for our industry remains that 80% of airports in the world are small, with high traffic volumes concentrated in only a handful of locations.
“This means there is wide disparity when it comes to profitability. Although the airport industry is profitable on the aggregate level, two thirds of airports are in the red with 94% of all loss-making airports handling traffic volumes below one million passengers per annum. Thus, developing the necessary strategy to enhance traffic growth is fundamental in generating a positive economic return. While smaller airports have spare capacity and can easily accommodate additional traffic, most bigger airports are significantly constrained and require immediate expansion contingent upon appropriate financing mechanisms.”
On the aeronautical side of the business, 55% of every dollar was generated from passenger-related charges as compared to other aeronautical sources of income such as the classical aircraft-related revenues.
Notes for editors
- Airports Council International (ACI), the trade association of the world’s airports, was founded in 1991 with the objective of fostering cooperation among its member airports and other partners in world aviation, including the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization. In representing the best interests of airports during key phases of policy development, ACI makes a significant contribution toward ensuring a global air transport system that is safe, secure, efficient and environmentally sustainable. As of January 2019, ACI serves 646 members, operating 1,960 airports in 176 countries.
- Learn more about the Airport Economics Report and Key Performance Indicators.
- The latest edition of the ACI Airport Economics Report will be launched shortly and presents global analyses relative to airport activity for the financial year 2017 based on responses from 900+ airports representing 78% of worldwide passenger traffic. As in previous years, the bedrock of the report consists of in-depth analysis, summaries and commentary on industry revenues (aeronautical and non-aeronautical) by source, costs (operating and capital) and their evolution over time.
Media contacts
Anita Berthier
Manager, External Relations and Special Events
ACI World
Telephone: +1 514 373 1254
Email: mediarelations@aci.aero
Sabrina Guerrieri
Manager, Communications
ACI World
Telephone: +1 514 373 1200
Email: mediarelations@aci.aero