Guidelines for Airport Privatization


 

Publication Date: October 1994

Publisher: Reason Foundation

Author(s): Robert W. Jr. Poole

Research Area: Transportation

Type: Brief

Abstract:

Increasingly, airports are being viewed as enterprises, rather than as public services which are expected, at best, to break even. Around the world, governments in both developed and developing countries are turning to the private sector for airport management and development. Municipal and state governments in this country can use the private sector to improve airport operations in several ways.

The benefits of a more ntrepreneurial approach to airport management include increased operating efficiency, increased airport revenues, improved airport amenities, possible new revenue streams for state and local governments, and reduced risk of developing uneconomic (white-elephant) projects. Airlines, passengers, private-plane owners, and taxpayers can all benefit from this new approach to airport management.