Airbiz

What Airbiz does

Airbiz Aviation (legal name Airbiz Aviation) is an international aviation consulting firm founded in 1994 by Greg Fordham, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, with regional offices in Auckland, New Zealand and Toronto, Canada. The firm delivers specialised planning, design, analytics and advisory services across the airport lifecycle, including terminal and landside planning, master planning, airside planning, fast travel and self-service concept development, advanced analytics and simulation, aviation business and transaction advisory, sustainability and environmental consulting, and 3D animation and visualisation. Airbiz operates across 50+ countries on five continents, claims 2,500+ projects in 30 years, and works primarily for airport owners and operators (e.g., Melbourne Airport, Perth Airport, Brisbane Airport, Hong Kong, Incheon, Auckland, Changi), airlines (Qantas, Japan Airlines, Alaska Airlines), government agencies (ACI World, Malaysian Airports, Dublin Airport Authority) and infrastructure investors (Queensland Investment Corporation, Royal Schiphol Group).

The firm is a pure-play professional services business with no software product, app or API; revenue is generated through project-based consulting fees, typically under fixed-fee or time-and-materials contracts won via competitive tender or direct engagement with senior decision-makers. Engagement is direct-to-client (no resellers or channels) and supported by thought-leadership marketing (conference speaking, project showcases, ACI World Business Partner status). Underlying technical capabilities include a proprietary analytics stack: passenger simulation studies, airside simulation modelling, noise and emissions modelling (INM and AEDT), and three named in-house tools — Stand Allocation & Optimisation, Reclaim Allocation & Optimisation, and a Landside Planning Program — alongside purpose-built data visualisation and 3D animation deliverables.

Structurally, Airbiz is a founder-owned private partnership with no external equity or debt funding disclosed. Governance sits with founder/Chairman Greg Fordham and Co-Managing Directors Kerr Lammie and George Lazenkas, supported by department heads across Terminal, Airside, and Analytics & Modelling, a Financial Controller, and an EU/UK/New Zealand/Canada regional management layer. The model is a classic specialist consultancy: small headcount (11-50), high-ticket enterprise clients, and long-duration engagement relationships anchored on major infrastructure programs.

Name

Airbiz

Legal name

Airbiz Aviation

Website

https://airbiz.aero

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Airbiz Aviation is an Australia-headquartered international aviation consulting firm founded in 1994, delivering airport master planning, terminal and airside design, fast travel advisory, simulation, sustainability and transaction advisory services to airport owners, airlines, governments and infrastructure investors across 50+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Aviation Consulting Services: Professional consulting fees generated from providing airport planning, terminal design, airside planning, sustainability consulting, analytics and modeling, aviation business advisory, and other specialized aviation consulting services to airports, airlines, government agencies, and investors worldwide.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Airbiz is an international aviation consulting firm that provides specialised planning, design, analytics and advisory services to airports, airlines, government agencies, and infrastructure investors. Its core offerings span terminal and landside planning, airport master planning, airside planning and design, analytics and simulation modelling, Fast Travel and self-service concepts, aviation business and transaction advisory, sustainability consulting, and 3D animation and visualisation, delivered via project-based consulting engagements from offices in Melbourne, Auckland, and Toronto.

Product overview

Airbiz is an international aviation consulting firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of services rather than a unified software product. The core offerings include Terminal & Landside Planning (covering planning, capacity assessments, conceptual design, passenger experience, terminal simulation, operational planning, retail planning, and landside planning), Master Planning (airport-wide strategic planning), Analytics & Modelling (airside simulation, traffic forecasting, data visualisation, noise modelling), Airside Planning (airfield, apron, infrastructure design), Fast Travel (IATA program advisory for self-service and biometric processes), Aviation Business Consulting (transaction advisory, policy strategy, financial analysis), Sustainability and Environment Services, and 3D Animation & Visualisation. These services work together as an integrated consulting approach where master planning provides strategic direction, analytics and modelling inform decisions through simulation and forecasting, terminal and airside planning deliver the physical solutions, Fast Travel enhances passenger processing, business consulting supports commercial outcomes, and 3D visualisation communicates concepts to stakeholders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Terminal & Landside Planning Comprehensive terminal planning services including development plans, facility requirements, capacity assessments, conceptual design, passenger experience optimisation, terminal simulation, operational planning, retail planning, and landside planning for airport terminals. Targeted at airport owners, operators, and design consortia.
• Master Planning Airport master planning services including demand and capacity analysis, feasibility studies, facilities planning, land use planning, staged development planning, and terminal precinct planning. Airbiz pioneered commercial-based master planning matching physical planning to airport business priorities. Targeted at airport corporations, authorities, and government agencies.
• Analytics & Modelling Advanced analytics and simulation services including airside simulation, traffic forecasting, schedule development, data visualisation, and noise and emissions modelling (using INM and AEDT). Dynamic and stochastic simulation packages with visual outputs identify congestion and explain complex operational flows. Targeted at airports, airlines, and regulators.
• Airside Planning Airside planning and design services encompassing airfield planning, apron design and operations, and infrastructure and support facilities planning for airports worldwide. Targeted at airport owners, operators, and design teams.
• Fast Travel IATA Fast Travel program advisory services helping airports and airlines implement self-service check-in, bag drop, border clearance, and boarding processes, often involving biometric verification to eliminate queues and improve passenger experience. Targeted at airports and airlines.
• Aviation Business Consulting Strategic business advisory services including transaction advisory, aeronautical policy and business strategy, non-aeronautical revenue strategy for terminals and ground transport, financial analysis and business case preparation, and traffic forecasting. Targeted at airport investors, government agencies, and airport owners.
• Sustainability and Environment Services Environmental sustainability consulting addressing decarbonisation, net zero emissions transition, circularity, resource efficiency, and strategic sustainability planning for airports and airlines. Targeted at airports, airlines, and regulators pursuing net-zero targets.
• 3D Animation & Visualisation 3D animation and visualisation services using latest technology to create videos, visualisations, and immersive experiences that illustrate airport concepts and engage stakeholders. Targeted at airport clients, design teams, and stakeholder engagement programmes.

Named customers29 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Airports Council International (ACI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAirbiz is an active contributor and World Business Partner of Airports Council International (ACI). This partnership provides industry visibility, networking opportunities, and involvement in global aviation policy development. Greg Fordham serves on the ACI Asia-Pacific Board and previously chaired the ACI World Business Partners Advisory Board.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• AECOM: Global infrastructure firm with a major aviation practice providing planning, design, and program management for airports. Comparable in aviation consulting services but competes across a much broader infrastructure portfolio and at larger scale.
• WSP: Global professional services firm with an aviation advisory and engineering practice covering master planning, terminal design, and sustainability consulting. Competes with Airbiz on airport planning mandates, particularly in North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific.
• Jacobs: Global engineering and professional services firm with an aviation practice delivering airport planning, airside design, and program management. Comparable on technical aviation consulting but with vastly greater resources and sector breadth than Airbiz.
• Mott MacDonald: International engineering consultancy with an established aviation practice covering airport master planning, terminal design, and airside engineering. Comparable on technical aviation services but with much broader sector exposure than Airbiz.
• Arup: Global engineering and design consultancy with a large aviation practice spanning airport planning, terminal design, and airside engineering. Competes with Airbiz on integrated design teams (e.g., Melbourne M3R alongside Beca and Arup) but operates across many sectors beyond aviation.

Others

• Foster + Partners: International architecture firm with a notable aviation portfolio including airport terminal design (Marseille, Beijing). Works alongside Airbiz on aviation projects as design partner, making it an adjacent ecosystem player rather than direct competitor.
• Woods Bagot: Global architecture and design firm with a dedicated aviation practice. Collaborates with Airbiz on the Perth Airport New Terminal project as lead architect, making it an adjacent peer working on the same projects in a complementary capacity.

Direct peers

• Landrum & Brown: Specialist aviation planning consultancy providing airport master planning, terminal planning, airside simulation, and environmental services globally. Most direct comparable to Airbiz given its aviation-only focus and similar service portfolio across planning, simulation, and modeling.
• LeighFisher (Oliver Wyman): Aviation management consulting practice now part of Oliver Wyman, providing airport transaction advisory, strategy, and operational consulting. Comparable to Airbiz's Aviation Business and transaction advisory service lines serving airports, airlines, and investors.
• NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants): Dedicated airport planning and design consultancy with global project delivery across master planning, terminal design, and operational consulting. Closely comparable specialist peer with similar end-to-end airport consulting focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/airbiz_aero
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/airbiz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Airbiz