THE CONNECTION BETWEEN AN AIRPORT TYPE AND REVENUE STRUCTURE AT BALTIC STATES AIRPORTS

Abstract

Airports are not only engines of transportation of passengers and cargo, but also commercial enterprises offering services far beyond transportation, which is why their revenues are formed by both aeronautical and non-aeronautical sales. Aeronautical revenues of some large European airports are higher than non-aeronautical revenues, whereas some regional and secondary European airports demonstrate the opposite trend. The aim of this research was to determine if there is a connection between an airport type and the ratio of aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenues at Baltic States airports in way that is consistent with the previous research. The aim was attained in three stages. The first, the definitions of the main and secondary airports were constructed via discourse analysis. The second, the structure of airport revenues of the selected Baltic States airports was analysed. The third, conclusions were made regarding a connection between an airport type and the revenue structure of these Baltic States airports. On the one hand, the research results suggested there might be a connection between an airport type and the revenue structure although this question requires further research, and on the other hand, the financial analysis showed that airports with a higher share of non-aeronautical revenues than aeronautical revenues were more resilient to crises.