MSc Air Transport Planning and Management

Nigel Dennis (Course Leader), Anne Graham, Andrew Cook, Frances Kremarik

Nigel Dennis is the course leader and a specialist in airline economics, forecasting, scheduling and marketing. He has served on international committees including those of the Transportation Research Board in the US and the Association for European Transport.

Anne Graham is a specialist in airport economics, finance, management and aviation issues related to tourism. She is author of the book Managing Airports published by Butterworth-Heinemann.

Andrew Cook leads the department’s air traffic management research and sits on national and international ATM committees. He also lectures on air transport market research and data analysis.

Frances Kremarik assists with the day-to-day running of the course and specialises in airline networks and the North Atlantic market as well as air travel statistics and surveys.

THE MSC AIR Transport Planning and Management is a very practical course that brings together academic content with a large number of specialist contributors from the aviation industry. It is uniquely taught in block mode where students attend for modules of five days’ duration, making it very accessible to part-time students working in the aviation industry both in the UK and internationally. Additional activities are arranged for full- time students in-between the module blocks, including tutorial and discussion sessions, guest lectures and visits to airport facilities and outside events.

Students come from a range of disciplines (first degrees have included Economics, Geography, Engineering, Languages and Music). No prior knowledge of the air transport industry is assumed but a passion for aviation is one of the best qualifications taken in conjunction with a formal academic background or equivalent appropriate work experience.

Students take three taught core modules: Air Transport Economics; Air Transport Management and Operations; Air Transport Forecasting and Market Research; and three taught option modules, currently from a choice of four: Airport Finance and Strategy; Air Transport Policy and Planning; Airline Marketing and Business Models; and Air Traffic Management, Scheduling and Network Planning. Students also have the possibility of a free choice module from another suitable programme in place of one of the three options. Most modules include a group workshop or business game in which students apply their knowledge to work as a team in a competitive environment.

The Research Dissertation is also a core module undertaken in the second half of the study period. A wide range of aspects of the aviation business can be analysed and this year’s dissertations have covered subjects including: human factors in commercial aircraft accidents; trends in the aircraft leasing market; dangerous goods transportation by air; impact of COVID-19 on different markets to/from the UK; customer satisfaction with LCCs in Vietnam; scope for regional aircraft operations in Zimbabwe; optimisation in revenue management; impact of Spaceport UK on ATM flow; modelling passenger choice of airport in London; and the reduction of emissions in Icelandic aviation.

Guest Speakers:

Carole Blackshaw (aviation consultant), Robert Boyle (formerly IAG), Guillaume Burghouwt (Schiphol Group), Adrian Clark (NATS), Jon Clyne (Civil Aviation Authority), Nick Fadugba (African Aviation Services Ltd), Laura Faucon (Aéroports de Paris), Jerry Foran (British Airways), Kelly Ison (American Airlines), John Twigg (formerly Manchester Airports Group)