Air Transport Research Society

What Air Transport Research Society does

The Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) is a non-profit professional society founded in 1995 and headquartered at the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. It serves a global community of approximately 500 air transport researchers through an integrated platform of products: an annual World Conference (held 28 consecutive years through 2025, with the 29th scheduled for Beijing in 2026), the JATRS academic journal published in partnership with Elsevier, the Global Airport Benchmarking Report covering 205 airports, and the Global Airport Performance Benchmarking Database in continuous operation since 2002. The society also operates a regional China Chapter established in 2023 to extend its footprint into the Chinese aviation research market. Leadership includes Anming Zhang (Chair), Gianmaria Martini (President), and Tae H. Oum (Founding President), and the organization runs with a small staff of approximately 7 employees.

ATRS operates a diversified membership-based revenue model with tiered pricing: student membership at $25 per year, individual membership at $75 per year, and corporate membership at $1,000 per year, with a higher Gold Corporate tier also offered. Supplemental revenue comes from conference registration fees ranging from $80 to $1,350, sales of benchmarking reports, and subscriptions to the performance benchmarking database. Named corporate sponsors span the global air transport value chain and include aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing, airports Copenhagen Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), and Korea Airports Corporation, providing both financial support and ecosystem reach. The combination of academic credibility (Elsevier journal, university affiliation), 28 years of consecutive conference programming, and a longitudinal benchmarking dataset forms the society's core operating engine.

Name

Air Transport Research Society

Legal name

Air Transport Research Society

Website

https://atrsworld.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Air Transport Research Society (ATRS) is a 1995-founded non-profit professional society headquartered at UBC's Sauder School of Business in Vancouver, Canada. It serves approximately 500 global air transport researchers through annual conferences, an Elsevier-published journal, airport benchmarking reports, and a longitudinal performance database.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Vancouver

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Individual and Student Memberships: Annual individual membership fees at $75 USD per year and student memberships at $25 USD per year provide basic membership benefits including networking opportunities, voting rights at the General Assembly, and right to submit papers to ATRS special issue journals.
2. Corporate Memberships: Standard corporate membership at $1,000 USD annually includes 4 annual memberships, 2 world conference admissions, 50% discount on benchmarking reports, and corporate recognition on the ATRS website and conference program. Gold corporate membership offers expanded benefits including 10 annual memberships, 5 conference admissions, and prominent recognition.
3. Conference Registration Fees: Revenue from conference registration fees for the annual World Conference. Main conference registration ranges from USD 220-1,190 depending on attendee type (student, individual, group), with early and standard rates. Pre-conference online registration is available at reduced rates (USD 80-480). Registration includes 1-year ATRS membership.
4. Global Airport Benchmarking Reports: The ATRS Global Airport Benchmarking Report is sold as a three-volume publication (Volume I Summary, Volume II Full Results, Volume III Airport Profiles). The 2022 report covers 205 airports and 24 airport groups. Corporate members receive 50% discount. Reports are available for purchase through secure online payment.
5. Airport Performance Benchmarking Database: ATRS maintains and sells access to the Global Airport Performance Benchmarking Database containing financial information, traffic data, and capacity data for major airports in Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America since 2002. Database is sold separately from the benchmarking report.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ATRS is a non-profit professional society that organizes an annual World Conference for air transport researchers, publishes the peer-reviewed Journal of the Air Transport Research Society (JATRS) through Elsevier, and produces the Global Airport Benchmarking Report and accompanying performance database covering 205+ airports. The society also runs regional chapters (including the China Chapter established in November 2023), offers individual, student, and corporate membership programs, and convenes award-sponsored paper competitions across aviation research themes.

Product overview

ATRS offers a portfolio of research-focused products and services centered on air transport scholarship and industry analysis. The core offerings include the annual ATRS World Conference (29th edition in 2026 in Beijing) for networking and paper presentations, the peer-reviewed Journal of the Air Transport Research Society (JATRS) published by Elsevier, the Global Airport Benchmarking Report and accompanying Database for performance analysis, and regional chapters like the China Chapter. Membership programs (Individual, Corporate, Gold Corporate) provide access to conferences and reports. The society acts as a non-profit organization connecting researchers from academia, government policy makers, and aviation industry professionals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ATRS World Conference Annual international conference that brings together air transport researchers, policymakers, and industry experts for paper presentations, best paper awards, keynote speeches, and PhD student workshops. Hosted in rotating global cities.
• Journal of the Air Transport Research Society (JATRS) Peer-reviewed open-access journal published by Elsevier covering all aspects of air transport research across economics, engineering, law, management, operations, and planning domains.
• Global Airport Benchmarking Report Annual report measuring and comparing airport performance across productivity, efficiency, unit costs, financial results, and airport charges. The 2022 report covers 205 airports and 24 airport groups in Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America.
• ATRS Global Airport Performance Benchmarking Database Comprehensive database containing financial information, traffic data, and capacity data of major airports and airport authorities in Asia Pacific, Europe, and North America since 2002.
• ATRS China Chapter Regional chapter promoting academic exchange and policy engagement in air transport research within China and collaboration with the international ATRS community.
• Individual Membership Annual membership tier for researchers and professionals providing networking opportunities with approximately 500 research members worldwide, voting rights at the ATRS General Assembly, and eligibility to submit papers presented at the World Conference to ATRS special issue journals.
• Corporate Membership Annual corporate membership providing 4 individual memberships, 2 world conference admissions, 50% discount on benchmarking reports, and corporate recognition on the ATRS website and conference program.
• Gold Corporate Membership Premium corporate membership tier including electronic and hard copies of benchmarking reports, 10 annual memberships, 5 world conference admissions, and prominent corporate recognition on program and website.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500 research members networked globally
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and regional hub.

• Elsevier (ScienceDirect)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024ATRS partners with Elsevier to publish the Journal of the Air Transport Research Society (JATRS) on the ScienceDirect platform. Elsevier has waived the Open Access submission fee for the first two years. This partnership provides the society with a major academic publishing platform and global distribution reach.
• University of International Business and Economics (UIBE)regional hubStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023UIBE hosted the inauguration of the ATRS China Chapter in November 2023. The university provides institutional support for the China Chapter's activities including hosting Prof. Hangjun Yang as Chapter President and Prof. Xiaoqian Sun as Vice President.
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University hosts the ATRS Airport Benchmarking Project at its College of Business. VP Benchmarking Chunyan Yu is based at Embry-Riddle, and the university provides institutional infrastructure for the benchmarking program.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Air Transport Association (IATA): Global airline trade association offering industry standards, conferences, and economic reports. Much larger, commercially focused, and standards-setting versus ATRS's academic focus, but addresses overlapping stakeholders (airlines, airports, regulators) with research/benchmarking-adjacent outputs.
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA): The largest global aerospace professional society, hosting multiple conferences annually and publishing several journals. Much larger scope (engineering, science, policy) than ATRS, but operates the same membership + conference + journal + awards playbook in overlapping aviation domains.
• Airports Council International (ACI World): Global trade association of airport operators producing industry data, benchmarking reports, and conferences. Directly comparable in airport benchmarking output to ATRS's Global Airport Benchmarking Report, but operating as a commercial trade body rather than an academic society.
• International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO): UN specialized agency setting international aviation standards and producing policy research. A much larger, regulator-led entity than ATRS, but its research and conference outputs serve the same aviation-policy-research demand that ATRS addresses for academia.

Direct peers

• Transportation Research Board (TRB): U.S. National Academies program that organizes the annual TRB meeting (the world's largest transport research conference) and publishes peer-reviewed transport journals. Directly comparable in mission (academic research convening + journals + committee structure), though broader than ATRS's air-transport-only focus.
• Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS): Long-established professional society for aerospace professionals that runs conferences, publishes journals, and awards prizes. Comparable membership, conference, and journal model to ATRS, with broader aerospace scope versus ATRS's air-transport/economics focus.
• World Conference on Transport Research Society (WCTR): The triennial global transport research conference from which ATRS was originally spun off as an air-transport special interest group in 1995. Both organize peer-reviewed academic conferences spanning transport modes, with WCTR covering all transport and ATRS exclusively air transport.

Emerging players

• German Aerospace Center (DLR): Germany's national aeronautics and space research center, which is a current ATRS corporate permanent member. DLR conducts extensive aviation research and hosts its own conferences, serving comparable academic and policy audiences in the European air transport domain.
• Centre for Aviation (CAPA): Commercial aviation research and advisory firm producing reports, data, and industry events for airlines, airports, and investors. A more commercially oriented, broader-data competitor that overlaps with ATRS's benchmarking and conference offerings, but with a paid B2B model rather than academic membership.

Regional players

• European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA): European Union agency for aviation safety that also conducts and publishes research and hosts conferences. Regionally focused on Europe versus ATRS's global footprint, with regulatory rather than academic orientation, but addresses overlapping aviation research and policy communities.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/air-transport-research-society

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Air Transport Research Society