BA (Hons) Airline and Airport Management with Placement

Course detail
On this course, you will gain a strong understanding of the workings of the aviation industry. The one year work placement in the aviation industry will enhance your skills and knowledge of the sector, and putting theory into practice within a real business environment.

Those who choose the Placement year will be responsible for seeking and obtaining this placement role within the aviation industry, as the University does not guarantee placements. However, our placement office will be able to assist you in preparing for the challenge of finding a role with career guidance and exposure to employers through careers fairs and aviation industry networks.

In your final year of study, you will undertake a research project of your own choosing related to the aviation industry, putting into practice the academic theory you have obtained and your workplace experience.

Year one (Level 4) modules
The Aviation Experience
Principles of Management and Leadership
Introduction to Airline and Airport Management
Academic Development and Employability
Aviation Travel Geography
Introduction to Accounting and Finance.
Year two (Level 5) modules
Managing Human Resources
Airline and Airport Operations Management
Sales and Marketing
Aviation Law for Managers
Research Methods for Managers.
Plus one option from:
Human Factors in Aviation
Air Cargo Operations.
Year three
Placement year
Year four (Level 6) modules
Strategic Airport Planning and Development
Aviation Policy and Strategy
Air Route Planning
Service Industries Dissertation
Contemporary Aviation Issues and Management of Change.
Plus one option from:
Governance of Aviation
Sustainable Aviation Management.
Modules summaries

Year one (Level 4) modules

Introduction to Airline and Airport Management
This module aims to provide you with a basic understanding of the structure, nature and operating characteristics of the airline and airport industry. It will examine the key developments and component sectors that have helped shape the international aviation industry. Linked into these developments you will examine the roles and responsibilities of the major organisations associated with airline and airport operations and management.
Aviation Travel Geography
This module aims to explore the relationship between aviation, geography and tourism, focusing on the location of key gateway airports in Europe and worldwide together with an insight to the terminology associated with airport operations. Students will also develop knowledge of the basic principles of aviation meteorology. The module continues by providing an overview of the European region and provides an insight about the geographical character that comprises the setting for tourism.
Principles of Management and Leadership
This module aims to provide you with the basic knowledge and understanding of the key theories, concepts and models in management and leadership. Effective management is essential to the success of today’s organisations in the hospitality and tourism industry.
This module will introduce you to principles of management in terms of management of organisations, people, systems and self for the delivery of quality of customer service. It also gives you an overview of leadership, in order to explore current thinking on leadership with the use of practical management and leadership tools and approaches. Finally, the module aims to develop your awareness of your own leadership traits and capabilities.
Academic Development and Employability
The aims of this module are to develop your critical approach and research skills and apply these to academic writing skills. In addition, the module aims to help you develop knowledge and understanding of employment in the sector as well as enhancing your employability.
The Aviation Experience
This module introduces knowledge and skills to develop your current understanding of the aviation industry. You will be informed about concepts and theories related to the aviation industry including The Customer Experience; Theory of flight; and Safety and Security.
Introduction to Accounting and Finance
This module provides a foundation programme of studies in accounting and statistics in an appropriate industrial context. The role of accounting and statistics in the decision making process is stressed. The module includes essential conceptual underpinning as well as practical applications and encourages an appropriately critical approach. The module also lays the foundations for level five studies in Financial Management for the Hospitality Industry.
Year two (Level 5) modules
Airline and Airport Operations Management
This module aims to introduce you to a range of skills, techniques and operations practices appropriate to the airline industry. The module will be multidisciplinary in its perspective, drawing upon a range of competencies developed both in the airline, airport and business core. You will learn how to manage the day-to-day running of an airline or airport, including the management of facilities and staff resources and operations and functions of airlines and airports.
Managing Human Resources
This module aims to enable participants to gain knowledge and understanding of the activities involved in effective human resource management within the aviation industry. The module focuses on practices and processes of how people are managed at work. In addition, it identifies the current trends in human resources management.
Aviation Law for Managers
This module will help you understand the relevance of law to airline and airport management, familiarising you with the law governing certain areas of aviation. This will prepare you to identify instances where legal counsel is indispensable before a managerial decision is taken.
Sales and Marketing
As a career choice, one of the major attractions of airline and airport operations is contact with people. This module introduces you to the factors which influence consumer behaviour in this area, together with the concepts and principles of marketing management.
Research Methods for Managers
This module aims to provide you with broad knowledge and understanding of the principles and practices in conducting research. It focuses on the use of a range of different research methods in order to successfully undertake a dissertation or any research project. The module encompasses the understanding and application of appropriate research designs, research statistics, use of computers for data analysis, report writing and presentation.
Human Factors in Aviation
This module will introduce you to the essential knowledge and understanding required for the management of people in airline and airport organisations. The module covers key concerns for personnel and developments in the tourism industry concentrating on the main generic areas of resourcing, training and development, motivation and reward. These areas will be considered within the current legal and political environment of the UK.
Air Cargo Operations
Air cargo represents a relatively small percentage by volume of world trade, but its significance leaps by value. The air cargo industry serves as a key engine of economic growth and development. It supports trade and investment, promotes connectivity, and improves efficiency and competitiveness. The Air Cargo Operations module aims to explain the above principles to you. You are expected to understand the complex and changing issues required to maximize all aspects of the air cargo business and see all parts of commercial aviation operations.
Year four (Level 6) modules
Strategic Airport Planning and Development
Airport Planning and Development is essential for airport managers. As a future manager, you will need a strong understanding of the current situation and local constraints an airport can face. A clear roadmap for the development of airports and a comprehensive solution for the challenges they face are necessary. Focusing in those areas, this module will provide you with thorough understanding of the political, economic, regulatory and environmental context in which an airport operates. In addition it will enhance your critical thinking and decision making in terms of planning and development steps. Finally the Airport Planning and Development module will enhance your project management and construction supervision skills.
Aviation Policy and Strategy
This module aims to provide a dynamic introduction to the process by which aviation policy is formulated.
The module takes into account key factors in the political, economic, social and technological environment which influence aviation policy making. To this end the module will focus on the influence of tourism organisations e.g. IATA, CAA AEA et al, societal values, the role of special interest groups, aspects of political power and socio-economic global forces of change.
A dualistic framework for the study of how aviation policy is developed will be advanced focusing both on European civil airlines and airport providers.
The relationship between research and policy making will also be considered. Here the use of a range of international case studies is used to explore the methods by which aviation policies can and have been prioritised and the success or failure of policy initiatives judged.
Contemporary Aviation Issues and Management of Change
This module aims to examine a range of contemporary issues appropriate to the aviation industry. The module reviews changing operational characteristics and procedures within the commercial aviation sector and the impact of new technologies and innovations. The perspectives included are wide ranging and vary from year to year depending on current and topical themes.
The intention is that by utilising the knowledge and analytical skills you will have gained, you will increase your capability to reason from a multi-disciplinary perspective and will recognise that it is not practical for a manager to view issues in isolation.
Route Planning
The aim of this module is to introduce you to route planning and provide an understanding of the political, economic, regulatory and cultural environment of both origin and destination airport’s catchment area. Moreover Route Planning module aims to teach you the design of an airline’s network and develop your critical and analytical skills in analysing the profitability potential.
Service Industries Dissertation
The dissertation is an opportunity for you to study a topic of personal interest, developing your knowledge and skills of that topic and your research skills. This may be beneficial to your future career plans. You will identify your area of research and develop research questions to be answered or hypotheses to be tested in the industry context relevant to the course of study. The dissertation that results from this research will be a professionally presented piece of work that demonstrates your abilities in critical thinking and writing and your skills in completing an independent, self-managed piece of research.
Governance of Aviation
This module aims to examine the politics of aviation and tourism within a European framework. It examines how geo-political decision-making can influence national and trans-national decisions on the airline, airport and tourism sector. The module will particularly focus on the role of national governments and the European Union as legislators and ‘enablers’ of aviation and tourism. The module concludes by examining EU tourism policy as it applies to the commercial aviation sector.
Sustainable Aviation Management
The aim of this module is to establish an overview of the principles of sustainability and sustainable aviation management. It will cover the main theories in regulating environmental externalities and help you to assess and evaluate these policies and initiatives
Finally it aims to create a critical and collaborative learning environment that will manifest itself in reflecting on your contribution to corporate social responsibility and sustainability and taking your place as a responsible global citizen.