The evolution of airport ownership and governance

Abstract

This presentation examines the evolution of airport governance from public utility to modern business. I also briefly look at airport regulation and in this context ask the questions, do airports need to be regulated and if so, why? I consider the new thinking on two-sided platforms and examine whether this may be the new way of thinking about governance. In judging governance structures and regulation, I argue that dynamic efficiency has been underemphasized in the debate over privatization and that airline deregulation has been most important in shifting the balance of power between airlines and airports.