What is traffic and revenue forecasting in airport planning?

• A. Measuring current passenger satisfaction
• B. Scheduling gate assignments
• C. Projecting future passenger volumes, aircraft movements, and revenue to guide capacity planning and funding decisions
• D. Planning marketing campaigns for the next quarter

Answer: (C)

Traffic and revenue forecasting focuses on predicting future demand and financial performance so airport planners can make informed capacity and funding decisions. It involves projecting future passenger volumes, aircraft movements, and associated revenue to evaluate how growth would affect the airport’s infrastructure needs and financial plan. This enables testing different growth scenarios, assessing the impact of expansions (terminals, runways, gates), and shaping capital programs, financing, and budgeting decisions.

Understanding this helps distinguish it from other activities. Measuring current passenger satisfaction looks at present service quality, not future demand. Scheduling gate assignments is an operational task for allocating resources today. Planning marketing campaigns targets short-term promotional activities rather than long-term capacity and funding considerations.