AIR TRANSPORT FUNDAMENTALS - 2022/3

Module code: MANM330

Module Overview

This module introduces key issues in air transport management and provide students with fundamental skills in airline/airport operations and management.

Module provider

Hospitality & Tourism Management

Module Leader

O'CONNELL Frankie (Hosp & Tour)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 7

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Overall student workload

Independent Learning Hours: 115

Lecture Hours: 24

Seminar Hours: 11

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

None.

Module content

Indicative content includes:

. The General Trend and Characteristics of the Global Aviation Industry

· Aeropolitics, Deregulation and Open Skies and its impact

· Low Cost Carriers and Long Haul Low Cost Carriers

· Full Service Network Airlines

· Regional Carriers and Charter Holiday Airlines

· Calculating important airline metrics: CASK, RASK, Yield, Break-even Load Factors

· Airport Business and Airport Commercial Strategies

· Airport Operations, Planning and Design

· Air Cargo

· Aviation Safety

· Business Model Insights & Characteristics (Aircraft Manufacturing, Aircraft Leasing, Engine Leasing, Maintenance, Ground Handling, Catering, Private Jets, IT, Consulting)

Assessment pattern

Assessment type Unit of assessment Weighting
Coursework GROUP PRESENTATION 40
Coursework INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT (3000 WORDS) 60

Alternative Assessment

Group presentation - an individual assignment on the presentation topic of 2000 words.

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is aimed at giving students the opportunity to gradually build up their knowledge and understanding of fundamental issues in the air transport management and is designed to allow students to evidence their achievement of the learning outcomes. The assessment comprises an individual assignment and a group presentation.

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

As part of the first assessment component (i.e., the individual assignment), students are examined based on critically reviewing the literature, theories and techniques related to fundamental issues in air transport management. This report has a target length of 3000 words.

For the second assessment (i.e., the group presentation) students will be working as a group to solve a practical issue faced by a company in the air transport industry.

Formative assessment and feedback

During the first seminar, the assignments and the feedback process is explained

Feedback is also provided during and after in-class discussions

As the seminars are built around topic-specific group exercises, students do not only benefit from lecture’s feedback but also receive peer evaluations

A pre-assignment feedback session is an integral part of this module. During this session, students work in groups on a task which reflects the assignment requirements and receive feedback on their work

Once marking is completed, students are able to access a report online which contains detailed generic feedback as well as a breakdown of marks. This enables students to assess their own performance compared to their peer students

Summative feedback

For the first assessment, students receive written feedback together with their returned reports. Apart from comments on the scripts, a formal sheet outlines students’ strengths, areas for improvements and suggestions on how to improve students’ performance for other assignments.

A post-assignment feedback session is designed to help students to fully understand the feedback given, which is particularly important at this stage as the report is one of the first assignments that students submit. 

Module aims

  • The aim of this module is to give students a thorough and systematic coverage of critical aviation issues that underpin today's global aviation industry. It delivers a comprehensive overview of the various dynamics that frame the aviation industry and it provides students with a solid knowledge base on the industry pulse points. Airlines have diversified into a wide range of different business models and each has a different set of structural dimensions, operating characteristics and specifications, which are examined in detail. Similarly airports have also changed shape to incorporate aviations relentless transformation. Students will be able to analyse and conceptualise big picture issues both inside and outside the industry.

Learning outcomes

Attributes Developed
001 Understand policy and regulatory issues in the air transport industry KCT
002 Describe the key components of the air transport system, explain their essential characteristics and illustrate the challenges they face KCT
003 Recognise and interpret the safety, security and environmental dimensions of the aviation industry KCT
004 Apply theoretical concepts to airline commercial practices in order gain differentiation, value and profitability PT

Attributes Developed

C - Cognitive/analytical

K - Subject knowledge

T - Transferable skills

P - Professional/Practical skills

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The teaching and learning strategy is designed to provide a framework of contemporary knowledge and theories supported by examples from industry. The current issues and debates will be highlighted so that the students are able to apply critical thinking to the literature. The teaching and learning methods are based on a series of lectures and, where appropriate case studies and guest lectures.

The learning and teaching methods include:


  • Lectures (2 hours x 12 sessions)

  • Seminars and/or class discussion (1 hours x 11 sessions)


Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: MANM330

Programmes this module appears in

Programme Semester Classification Qualifying conditions
Air Transport Management MSc 1 Compulsory A weighted aggregate mark of 50% is required to pass the module

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2022/3 academic year.