End-of-Year Review: Trends in Airports and Aerospace Hiring

When I joined Venari Partners in 2022, it was barely a year since most pandemic travel restrictions had been lifted. It certainly feels like a different time, from today’s vantage point; I’m thankful to say the airports and aerospace sector has been busy enough this year to make the COVID-era upheavals seem like a distant memory. The industry has shown great resilience to come back so strongly – which is just as well, since the demand from travellers is certainly there.

As I wrap up my work for 2024, I wanted to look back over principal developments in the airport space this year, and to look ahead to what might be on the cards next year. So, without further ado, let’s recap what’s been going on in the industry and what it’s meant for talent and hiring for the aviation and aerospace sectors.

This has been the first year that passenger numbers have not just returned to, but exceeded, pre-pandemic numbers. It’s great to see airports so busy again – yet a key theme for the sector these days is that if we want to keep seeing activity rising, it has to happen in a sustainable way. This has been a key driver for growth in the sector for a while now, and companies are taking steps to make meaningful changes, such as replacing maintenance vehicle fleets with electric craft.

We’ve noticed an uptick in demand for chief sustainability officers, as such, though it remains to be seen whether organisations seek to hire candidates with specialised backgrounds in the sector in large numbers, rather than promote internally. Now that frontline staff issues have been resolved, customer experience and operational efficiency are on the agenda in earnest.

Airports continue to be seen as attractive options for investors and private equity funds. There is plenty of interest from these areas internationally, as well as in the UK, which has driven up the value of airports dramatically. That said, it will be interesting to observe what happens in the US in the coming years. Airport infrastructure there is aging, relative to other parts of the world, and much of it is government owned. Accordingly, there is less private-sector investment, with a lot of the remaining infrastructure owned by airlines themselves. It will be interesting to watch what Vantage do; they are looking at different ways of working with the public sector for aerospace development.

Globally, the economic situation means that cargo volumes are up. The Middle East shipping crisis has raised demand – and costs – for air freight, meaning there are both opportunity and obstacles inherent. The jump in passenger numbers is driving airport management bodies to look at digital technology to control airfields – after all, more planes mean more passengers. Elsewhere, I’m sure we’ll see more sophisticated security technology (for instance, smart scanners) coming in – I’m curious to see how this pans out in 2025.

Happy holidays and all the best for next year to everyone in my network! If you’d like to receive expert advice on executive leadership solutions for your airport or aerospace business in 2025,do reach out to me.

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