Airside

What Airside does

Airside GmbH (DBA: AIRSIDE GmbH - AIRPORT SOLUTIONS KEISER) is an independent, Switzerland-based airport consulting firm headquartered in Langenthal. The company provides specialized professional services across four interconnected disciplines: Master Planning, Terminal Planning, Security Planning, and Functional Planning. Its work covers all phases of airport development, from competition entries and feasibility studies through to detailed design consulting, for new airports, terminal expansions, capacity optimization, and security system upgrades compliant with EU Regulation 300/2008.

The firm's value proposition rests on 30+ years of accumulated experience, led by Managing Director Robert Keiser (dipl. Architect ETH/SIA), whose career began with the Renzo Piano Building Workshop team that won the 1988 Kansai International Airport competition. Airside delivers services through a model of direct consulting engagements with government airport operators and authorities, typically as part of joint ventures with internationally recognized architecture firms such as Renzo Piano Building Workshop, Itten+Brechbuehl, and Grimshaw. Notable engagements include Kansai International Airport, Zurich Airport's Flughafenkopf expansion, Vienna Airport's SKYLINK terminal, Geneva Airport's CAP 2030 feasibility study, Frankfurt Airport master plan, and Toulouse Airport expansions.

Commercially, Airside operates as a small (1-10 employees), private GmbH with project-based pricing that is not publicly disclosed. The business is founder/management-owned, with no institutional investors, parent company, or disclosed funding. Its revenue is generated entirely through direct professional services delivery to enterprise and government clients across at least 12 countries spanning Western and Central Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The firm does not offer software products, has no disclosed technology platform, and shows no signs of AI/ML capability development.

Name

Airside

Legal name

AIRSIDE GmbH

Website

https://airside.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Airside GmbH is a Swiss independent airport consulting firm providing master planning, terminal planning, security planning, and functional planning services to government airport operators and authorities globally, led by Managing Director Robert Keiser with 30+ years of experience.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Airport Consulting Services

NAICS

Other Support Activities for Air Transportation (488190)

SIC

Airports, Flying Fields & Airport Terminal Services (4581)

akta.pro primary industry

Aviation Infrastructure Agencies (Public Airports, Airfield Ops, Ground Access) (BPAIALAE)

Keywords

• Airport master planning
• Terminal planning services
• Airport security planning
• Aviation consulting
• Airport capacity planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Langenthal

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Airside is an independent airport consulting company delivering bespoke planning services for new airport development, expansion of existing facilities, development strategies, optimisation of existing facilities, and security planning or adaptation. Its portfolio covers four interconnected disciplines: Master Planning, Terminal Planning, Security Planning, and Functional Planning, applied across all phases of airport development from concept and competition entries through to detailed planning and implementation.

Product overview

Airside GmbH is an independent airport consulting company offering a unified portfolio of professional services rather than a software platform. The company's service offerings consist of four interconnected disciplines: Master Planning (strategic development coordination), Terminal Planning (layout and capacity planning), Security Planning (integrated security concepts), and Functional Planning (capacity models and preliminary designs). These services are applied across all phases of airport development—from initial concept and competition entries through to detailed planning and implementation—providing clients with bespoken solutions for new airport development, expansion of existing facilities, development strategies, optimization of existing facilities, and security planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Master Planning
• Terminal Planning
• Security Planning
• Functional Planning

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Renzo Piano Building Workshop, PariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing collaboration since 1988, working together on Kansai International Airport competition (winning entry). The partnership continued with various airport planning projects globally.
• Itten+Brechbuehl, Zurich/BerncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegular JV partner on multiple airport projects including Zurich Airport expansion, Vienna Airport projects, Geneva Airport CAP 2030, Toulouse Airport, and others.
• N. Grimshaw & Partners, LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Zurich Airport 5th expansion (project Flughafenkopf), Vienna Airport dock A competition, and multiple joint venture projects.
• Baumschlager Eberle, LochauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJV partner on Zurich Airport expansion and Maastricht Airport competition.
• Judmann Ziviltechniker GmbH, ViennaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTechnical concept partner for Vienna Airport security planning SKYLINK project 2003-2009.
• E-BPD ViennaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJV partner on Simferopol Airport masterplan and Lublin Airport terminal building projects.
• Wurlitzer Architekten BerlinminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJV partner on Lublin Airport new terminal building competition 2008.
• Syntax architects, ViennaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJV partner on Vienna Airport Check-Points and Fire Station competition 2007.
• Ingarden & Ewi, KrakowminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Wroclaw Airport competition 2006.
• FDA architects, AntwerpminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on Maastricht Airport competition 2003.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Arup: Arup is a global engineering and design firm with deep aviation sector credentials across master planning, terminal engineering, and operations consulting. It is a broad incumbent Airside must partner with or compete against on major airport mandates.
• Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM): SOM is a global architecture and engineering firm with airport terminal and master planning projects worldwide. It is a broad incumbent competing for high-prestige airport architecture commissions.
• HOK: HOK is a global design, architecture, and engineering firm with an aviation practice covering terminals, masterplans, and interior design for airports. Competes for similar airport authority clients on bundled architecture mandates.
• Mott MacDonald: Mott MacDonald is a global engineering and development consultancy with a substantial aviation practice covering masterplans, terminals, and airfield engineering. It competes for the same airport authority clients as Airside, often as lead consultant on bundled mandates.

Direct peers

• NACO (Netherlands Airport Consultants): NACO is a dedicated airport planning and design consultancy under Royal HaskoningDHV, offering master planning, terminal design, and aviation advisory globally. It is the closest large-scale direct peer to Airside in pure airport-planning specialization.
• Landrum & Brown: Landrum & Brown is a specialist airport planning, engineering, and development consultancy, primarily serving North American and global hub airports. It is a direct competitor in the airport master planning niche that Airside occupies.
• Grimshaw Architects: Grimshaw is an international architecture practice with major airport terminal and masterplan work, including Zurich Flughafenkopf with Airside. Comparable as a designer of airport architecture and infrastructure at the same scale and prestige tier.
• Itten+Brechbuehl: Swiss architecture firm with a long track record of airport projects including Zurich and Vienna expansions, frequently partnering with Airside in JV consortia. It is both a collaborator and a direct competitor on airport planning competitions.

Regional players

• Lea+Elliott: Lea+Elliott is a US-based transportation infrastructure consultancy with airport landside, people-mover, and terminal planning work. It is a regional peer with comparable airport planning expertise, though primarily North America focused.

Emerging players

• Benoy: Benoy is an international architectural practice with growing aviation sector work, particularly in terminal and retail-led design. Comparable as an emerging competitor for airport terminal planning mandates in EMEA and Asia.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Airside