Publisher's Remarks
Welcome to the 'Global Airport Cities' family
Global Airport Cities is an elegant, fully illustrated book, celebrating those airports and suppliers that are pioneers and leaders in airport city and aerotropolis design and development.
The editorial is written by industry experts and examines and highlights the rise of this developing urban form and its importance in stimulating regional economic growth. Case studies and profiles from airports highlight their unique achievements so far and their visions for the future.
It maps out unique and cutting-edge land development strategies from airports around the world, highlighting how they have attracted top business tenants by offering them a competitive position through access to global air links and a first-class real estate offering.
Global Airport Cities is the only comprehensive publication examining the evolution of the airport city and aerotropolis, featuring all the parties engaged in their successful planning and development.
It also highlights the important contribution that global suppliers, solution providers and development strategists are making to leverage new non-aeronautical revenue streams and develop new airport designs to maximise retail offerings and partnerships.
The print and digital versions of Global Airport Cities represent one part of a complete media solution combining print, digital and online versions to create a new community portal that will focus on all things airport city and aerotropolis.
Please take a few minutes to visit the website at www.globalairportcities.com - our new community portal. The portal features a detailed profile of each airport city and aerotropolis project, calls for tender and other project news, updated by the airport as and when required. The
portal will include a news service and many other unique features.
The Global Airport Cities package is completed by the annual Airport Cities World Conference and Exhibition where all parties from the global airport cities family can learn about all the latest project developments, meet and exchange views.
Appropriately, the formal launch of the new publications, including a CEO signing ceremony and the community portal will take place at Airport Cities World Conference in Beijing from April 21-23, 2010.
Global Airport Cities is the result of many years of detailed research, hard work and close cooperation between Insight Media, The Kenan Institute for Private Enterprise and MXD Development Strategists. On a personal note I would like to offer a very special note of thanks to Dr John D Kasarda and his team at the Kenan Institute and Chris LeTourneur and his colleagues at MXD without whom this great achievement would not have been possible.
I would also like to make special mention and to offer my sincere thanks to the airport CEOs who embraced our vision and actively supported the airport cities movement from its earliest days, through the ups and downs of the economic cycle and the many challenges we have met and overcome along the way: Desmond Shum, president & CEO, Airport City Development Co, Ltd, Beijing; Jeff Fegan, CEO, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; Larry Cox, president & CEO, Memphis-Shelby County Airport Authority; Yiannis Paraschis, CEO, Athens International Airport; Tan Sri Bashir A Ahmad Majid, managing director & CEO, Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad; Ben DeCosta, general manager, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and former chairman of the Fraport executive board, Wilhelm Bender who have all supported the conference over the years.
The number of airports and airport operators adopting the airport city/aerotropolis business model has grown rapidly and this trend seems set to continue. Once the preserve of the large international gateways, airport operators of all sizes and types are now developing as successful airport cities.
Insight Media looks forward to working with all the airports, operators and partners to maximise the contribution airport cities make to the health and prosperity of the cites and regions they serve.
Alex Kirby
Managing Director,
Insight Media Ltd
April 2010
