Exploring airport business models: A comprehensive bibliographic review and contingency framework

Airport business models have transformed significantly over the past four decades, driven by airline deregulation, corporatisation and privatisation, the rise and hybridisation of low-cost carriers (LCCs), digitalisation, and tightening environmental constraints. Although a substantial literature exists on airport efficiency, regulation and ownership, work explicitly conceptualising “airport business models” remains fragmented and often descriptive. This paper synthesises insights from 59 peer-reviewed studies spanning business model conceptualisation, ownership and governance, airport competition, LCC dynamics, resilience and COVID-19 impacts, and environmental sustainability. Building on the business model canvas adapted to the airport context, the review identifies six archetypal airport business models—commercial-primary hub, regional development-oriented, LCC-optimised, platform-based digital ecosystem, resilience-oriented, and sustainability-integrated. Empirical evidence suggests no single universally optimal configuration: model viability is contingent on traffic scale, governance and ownership form, competitive structure, airline composition, regional economic context and exogenous shocks. The paper proposes a contingency framework linking model choice to these conditions and outlines transition paths as circumstances evolve. It concludes by identifying research gaps around longitudinal model transitions, quantitative resilience metrics, and the integration of sustainability and digital servitisation into airport strategy.