Airport executives confronted a radically different economy and a new set of public expectations when their businesses fully reopened after the COVID-19 shutdown. In the interim, most airports lost air services, passengers, revenue, and employees.

Some airports, chiefly Canada’s internationals, are well on the way to full recovery.

Many others, however, are still desperately pulling up from the steep dive that saw them lose 50 percent or more of their usual yearly income. This has been especially true for the nation’s regional and general aviation airports.  

OEI President Rob Beynon addresses the underreported struggles facing these airports in a feature article in the IAAE Canada Airport Magazine: “The Eye of the Tiger: Airports Require Agility During Difficult Times.” Beynon outlines the strategic financial, operational, and human resources issues he sees as critical to recovery. More optimistically, the veteran transportation consultant suggests new ways of thinking about leadership, as well as looking to both the past and the future to find opportunities amid all the challenges.

Read “The Eye of the Tiger: Airports Require Agility During Difficult Times” (PDF).