Managing Airline Expenses: Infrastructure & ANSP Charges

Airlines collectively pay around $100 billion each year to airports and air navigation service providers (ANSPs). But what really lies behind these charges, and how can airlines manage them more effectively? This course provides a clear, structured explanation of the economic principles shaping aviation infrastructure pricing, helping participants understand what drives cost levels and how they may evolve.

Participants will explore the fundamentals of economic regulation, how airport and ANSP fees are determined, and the differences between single-till, dual-till, and hybrid-till models. Real-world examples and practical calculations illustrate how charges are set, applied, and influenced by market factors.

The course also examines how the pandemic affected infrastructure costs and highlights strategic cost-management considerations for the future, enabling aviation professionals to better anticipate, evaluate, and respond to rising fees.

At the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Understand the nature and importance of aviation infrastructure charges
2. Explain the key principles behind airport and ANSP pricing
3. Describe economic regulation instruments affecting infrastructure charges
4. Compare single-till (residual), dual-till (compensatory), and hybrid-till rate setting approaches
5. Perform basic airport and ANSP charge calculations
6. Identify challenges facing airports, ANSPs, and users in a post-pandemic context

1. Airline professionals working with airports and ANSPs
2. Airport and ANSP professionals working in strategy, finance, or management
3. Managers seeking to deepen cost-control knowledge
4. Professionals preparing for leadership roles
5. Aviation regulators