Airport Basics Bootcamp: Economy, Operations & Capacity

An introductory overview of airports’ role in the global economy, day-to-day operations, and capacity planning.

This introductory overview for the Airport Basics Bootcamp focuses on the critical themes and learning objectives of the course modules. 

Airport Basics Bootcamp is an introductory course that explains how airports function as essential nodes of the global transport and trade system, linking passengers and freight, enabling tourism and economic activity, and managing complex operations safely and efficiently. The bootcamp is structured around three pillars: (1) the global economy and aviation, (2) airport operations, and (3) airport capacity fundamentals.

• What you will learn:

Module 1 — Global Economy & Aviation
Understand why airports matter beyond the terminal: as enablers of connectivity, competitiveness, and national/regional development. You will explore aviation’s role in travel and tourism (including its large-scale contribution to GDP and jobs) and how air transport supports global trade by value.

Module 2 — Airport Operations
Step inside the airport operations ecosystem: the coordination of airside and landside processes, and the end-to-end logic of passenger flows. You will look at key processing and facilitation points (e.g., check-in/bag drop, security, border control, boarding, arrivals flows), and the operational reality of stakeholder coordination (airport operator, airlines, ground handlers, ATC, control authorities) to deliver safe, regulatory compliant, and efficient outcomes.

Module 3 — Airport Capacity Elements
Learn how airports assess and manage how much traffic they can safely and reliably handle across runway, apron/stands, and terminal constraints. You will distinguish the practical meaning of capacity (demand that can be processed while maintaining a desired level of service) and see how capacity is shaped by infrastructure, operations, environmental limits, and service standards.