The Evidence Base for Regional Airport Investment

Air traffic growth puts sustained pressure on airport capacity. In the region concerned, passenger traffic is set to more than triple over the next 30 years, straining capacity at many commercial airports. Meeting that demand requires long-term investment, and decision-makers need a reliable view of how much is needed and where.

An airports industry association lacked that consolidated view. Investment pipelines were scattered and inconsistent, leaving no consolidated visibility of investment needs through 2056.

The association needed an evidence base for its industry advocacy and policy dialogue. It wanted to:

• Consolidate the region's long-term airport investment (CAPEX) needs.
• Size the gap between needs and planned investment by investment category and sub-region.
• Assess how financing, regulation and affordability affect the ability to close the gap.

Sia built a bottom-up CAPEX model from evidence across 301 airports:

• Representative sample: screening 985 airports down to a representative sample of 301.
• Evidence base: secondary research, surveys and stakeholder interviews.
• Bottom-up model: sizing traffic demand, CAPEX requirement and gap by investment category across six sub-regions.
• Wider assessment: an assessment of financing, regulation and affordability.

The association gained a regional evidence base ready for industry advocacy:

• A CAPEX and airport-charge model with a packaged data toolkit.
• 20 country and sub-regional fact sheets and infographics.
• A board-level report and communication materials supporting its industry advocacy and policy dialogue.

By combining rigorous modeling, broad evidence gathering and clear communication, Sia helps industry bodies turn complex investment questions into persuasive, data-backed advocacy.