Faculty of Social Sciences

Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management

Short Courses

Financial Management for Airlines and Airports

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Programme overview

Funding the Future of Aviation

Every aviation decision eventually reaches the financial statement. A new route may improve connectivity but weaken cash flow. A lower fare may stimulate demand but destroy yield. An airport expansion may be operationally necessary but financially unviable. A leased aircraft may reduce the initial capital requirement while creating years of fixed obligations. This programme places participants inside these decisions.

You will work with airline and airport cost structures, financial statements, budgets, route and service economics, airport charges, capital proposals and cash-flow pressures. You will test the assumptions behind investments, identify where value is being lost and determine which financial levers management can realistically pull.

You will also work through the conditions that make aviation finance particularly difficult in the Caribbean: seasonal demand, volatile fuel costs, foreign-currency commitments, thin regional routes, public-service expectations, limited financing options and climate-related disruption. The programme is not designed only for accountants. It is designed for aviation managers who must understand the financial consequences of the decisions they recommend, approve or implement.

Programme Objectives

On successful completion of the programme, you will be able to:

  •  Read airline and airport financial performance beyond headline profit or loss.
  •  Identify the operational and commercial drivers behind aviation costs and revenues.
  •  Build and challenge budgets, forecasts and business cases.
  •  Assess route, service, asset and infrastructure viability.
  •  Evaluate aircraft, equipment and airport investment options.
  •  Manage cash flow, currency, fuel and disruption-related financial exposure.
  •  Evaluate financial options to support informed investment, funding and operational decisions.
  •  Recommend financial strategies that strengthen organisational resilience while maintaining operational performance and service continuity.

At a Glance

Course Duration:

May 18 – June 10, 2027

Times:

Tuesdays and Thursdays 5:30pm – 8:30pm AST

Certificate Awarded:

Professional Development Certificate of Competence

Cost:

US $850.00

Registration Deadline:

May 17, 2027

Modality:

Online

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Additional Information

Programme Curriculum

Reading the Financial Signals Behind Aviation Performance

  •  How Airlines and Airports Make, Lose and Preserve Money
  •  Reading Aviation Financial Statements
  •  Connecting Operational Decisions to Revenue, Cost and Cash Flow
  •  The Financial Relationship between Airlines, Airports and Governments
  •  Identifying Early Warning Signs Before a Financial Problem Escalates

Protecting Margins in a High-Cost Industry

  •  Understanding Airline Cost per Available Seat Kilometre and Revenue per Available Seat Kilometre
  •  Airport Cost Drivers, Revenue Mix and Financial Productivity
  •  Route Economics: When Connectivity Does Not Equal Profitability
  •  Pricing, Yield, Airport Charges and the Cost of Serving Demand
  •  Budget Control, Variance Analysis and Management Intervention
  •  Finding Financial Leakage Across Operations, Procurement and Commercial Activity
  •  Preserving Service and Safety While Controlling Cost

Funding Aircraft, Infrastructure and Strategic Growth

  •  Aircraft Acquisition: Lease, Purchase or Alternative Capacity
  •  Evaluating Airport Infrastructure and Technology Investments
  •  Capital Budgeting for Aviation Projects
  •  Testing Demand, Cost and Revenue Assumptions
  •  Cost of Capital, Debt Capacity and Funding Constraints
  •  Public Financing, Private Capital, Concessions and Public–Private Partnerships
  •  Building an Investment Case

Leading Financially Resilient Aviation Organisations

  •  Cash-Flow Protection During Demand Shocks and Operational Disruption
  •  Fuel, Foreign-Exchange and Interest-Rate Exposure
  •  Financial Implications of Hurricanes, Closures and Supply-Chain Disruption
  •  Building Scenarios for Seasonal and Thin-Market Demand
  •  Government Support, Public-Service Routes and Transparent Subsidy Decisions
  •  Balancing Financial Sustainability with National Connectivity
  •  Constructing a Financial Resilience Plan for a Caribbean Airline or Airport

How You Will Learn

You will work through the financial decisions aviation leaders face in practice, including:

· Reviewing an airline or airport performance dashboard

· Diagnosing why a route, service or facility is underperforming

· Challenging a budget and identifying unrealistic assumptions

· Testing the financial case for an aircraft or airport investment

· Comparing leasing, borrowing, concession and partnership options

· Reworking an airport charge or pricing decision

· Responding to a cash-flow shock caused by disruption

 

Assessment

Aviation Financial Decision Brief – Participants will respond to a realistic financial challenge facing an airline or airport. Acting as members of the executive leadership team, they will analyse financial and operational information, evaluate strategic options and recommend a financially sound course of action that balances commercial performance, operational priorities and long-term sustainability within the context of Caribbean aviation.

 

Benefits for You and Your Organisation

You will be better equipped to:

· See the financial impact of aviation decisions earlier.

· Challenge weak budgets, forecasts and investment assumptions.

· Identify where routes, assets or services are destroying value.

· Make stronger aircraft and infrastructure decisions.

· Improve conversations between finance, operations and commercial teams.

· Protect cash flow during disruption and demand volatility.

· Balance financial sustainability with connectivity and public-service needs.

 

Alignment with Regional and Global Aviation Priorities

This programme supports the financial sustainability priorities shaping airlines and airports by:

· Aligning with IATA practices in airline financial management, cost control, aircraft financing and commercial performance.

· Supporting Airports Council International (ACI) priorities for airport financial planning, revenue development and capital investment.

· Reinforcing ICAO principles on airport economics, user charges, transparency and the sustainable financing of air transport infrastructure.

· Strengthening financial decision-making for aircraft acquisition, airport development, technology investment and long-term asset planning.

· Addressing Caribbean aviation realities, including seasonal demand, foreign-exchange exposure, thin routes, tourism dependence and limited access to capital.

· Promoting financially resilient airlines and airports that can maintain connectivity, service continuity and national economic value.

Who Should Attend

This programme is designed for aviation professionals who influence budgets, investments, operations, revenue or financial performance, including:

· Airline and Airport Finance Managers

· Chief Financial Officers and Financial Controllers

· Airline and Airport General Managers

· Commercial and Revenue Management Professionals

· Network Planning and Route Development Managers

· Airport Planning and Infrastructure Managers

· Operations and Ground Services Managers

· Procurement, Contracts and Asset Management Professionals

· Civil Aviation Authority and Airport Regulatory Personnel

· Ministry Officials responsible for aviation, transport or public investment

· Tourism Executives involved in airlift and route support

· Banking, Investment and Advisory Professionals working with aviation organisations

All notification of cancellations, deferrals, and substitutions must be received in writing. Please submit your request via e-mail to schsbmopen@cavehill.uwi.edu

CANCELLATIONS

  • The Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management (SCHSBM) reserves the right to make changes to any printed or online information on short courses, instructors, or course information; or cancel any short course due to under-subscription or circumstances beyond its control.
  • Delegates will be notified at least seven (7) days before the start of any course that must be cancelled.
  • Fees for short courses cancelled by the SCHSBM will be refunded in full.
  • The SCHSBM will not be liable for any loss, damages or other expenses that result from course cancellations.

REFUNDS

Due to the costs incurred for program preparation and administration any cancellations received 30 days or less from the program start date are subject to fees as described below. For programs with a virtual component, the start date will be considered the first day of live learning.

Written notice of cancellation received by SCHSBM Refund
30 days or more before the start of the specific course 100% of course fees.
29 to 15 days before the start of the specific course 50% of course fees.
14 days or less before the start of the specific course No refund

Sagicor Cave Hill School of Business and Management
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