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Airport Plan Emerges from Needs, Expectations of Stakeholders

By Jorge Gutiérrez De Velasco Rodríguez - Queretaro International Airport
General Manager

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By Jorge Gutiérrez de Velasco | Rector - Fri, 05/05/2023 - 15:11

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The vision of the Queretaro International Airport is a world-class vision: in 2050, the airport not only will have promoted the economic and social growth of the region, increasing its connectivity, but also it is planning to play a decisive role in the development and functioning of the national airport system for the benefit of all of Mexico.

To propose a vision with this scope, it was necessary to perform a broad listening exercise with its stakeholders to gain valuable information about their needs and expectations. This was the first step in the creation of a network of mutually beneficial relationships that is unprecedented in the history of the airport. This will be a key factor on the path to  making this image of the future, a future full of opportunities for all, a reality.

Creating the 2050 Strategic Plan for Queretaro International Airport

The Project for the Creation of the Strategic Plan of the Queretaro International Airport for 2050 started in the second half of 2022, and is being developed with the advice of international experts linked to the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Europe’s leading university in airport management. It proposes to define the projects and actions that must be deployed with the goal of transforming the airport into a development engine, not only for Queretaro state and the Bajio region but also to  allow the airport to position itself in the future as a key player for the development of the Mexican airport system as a whole.

The project plan for the creation of the strategic plan includes several stages, among which are  the following: documentary research of new technological trends that will impact world airport systems in the future; the Queretaro International Airport’s analysis of strengths and weakness; the study of successful cases of similar airports all over the world; a deep understanding of perspectives and opportunities that the Mexican airport system holds, as well as an exercise of listening to the expectations and needs of its stakeholders, among other core steps.

Analysis of Needs and Expectations 

The initiative to carry out a widespread exercise of listening to the needs, expectations and perspectives of stakeholders raised, from  the very beginning, the necessity to make an initial inventory of the Queretaro International Airport’s stakeholders. To achieve this, several questions were asked: Who uses the airport’s services on a regular and non-regular basis? Who benefits indirectly from the services offered by the airport? What other missing services could be offered by the airport that will attract additional stakeholders in the future? Where are these stakeholders located? How can we be in touch with them? These are among the most significant.

It’s amazing to realize the number of public and private organizations, as well as particular people, that use or gain a direct or indirect benefit from all the services offered by the airport. One service is especially important:  connectivity.

It would be difficult to mention the complete list of stakeholders, but we will try. We will start with associations linked to the productive sectors, such as chambers and associations related to commerce, automotive, motor transport, aerospace, logistics, software, medical, and hotel industries. The aviation industry has several players, such as passengers and cargo airlines, as well as manufacturing of aerospace parts, engineering services and the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of aircraft (MRO).

In the government, there are, among the most important: The Ministry of Sustainable Development, The Ministry of Tourism, and the state and municipal governments of Queretaro. On a  national scale, a key player is the Mexican aeronautical authority, The Federal Civil Aviation Agency and organizations like Airports and Auxiliary Services, one of the administrators of the most important airports in Mexico. 

Finally, the higher education sector considered institutions that have entered the aerospace sector or whose students use the services of the airport intensively. We cannot fail to mention the Aeronautical University in Queretaro, a leading institution in aerospace education, and Anahuac University, whose students are traveling abroad constantly.

Surprises

The logistics for carrying out such an exercise meant not only hours of planning, but also searching for information about contacts, to have face to face meetings with all and every one of the stakeholders.

From the very beginning, we visualized the extra and unexpected benefits that an initiative like this would generate for the Queretaro International Airport because we not only wanted to know the needs, expectations, and key success factors that the stakeholders see coming soon, but this practice also opened a window of opportunity not explored in the past. Here are  three such opportunities the Queretaro International Airport should promote in the future because of the interaction with its stakeholders:

1. The creation of the advisory board for the Queretaro International Airport. The consultation with each and every one of the stakeholders focused on just one question: What is the role the Queretaro International Airport should play and what actions should be deployed to promote the growth of the Queretaro, The Bajio region and Mexico’s economy, generating well-being for society. The feedback generated based on this and other questions let us meet in person leaders from all the industries that move the economy, creating a win-win network of relationships, and generating, at the same time, the opportunity to maintain a continuous channel of communications. This relationship network will keep the airport linked permanently to its stakeholders, with the ability to continue listening to them and enjoy gains from their experience. The goal is to deliver more pertinent and focused services.

2. To inform the airport's mission as well as the services it delivers. It was a surprise to realize that the stakeholders did not have enough information about the airport’s mission and the services it delivers to Queretaro’s society. To let them know that the airport is a powerful mechanism of public policy, whose main mission is to drive  the development of Queretaro’s economy, and that the current administration has the firm aim of delivering world-class services was a revelation  for all the stakeholders. To know the major opportunity that Queretaro has to become a key player on a national scale, significantly excited all meeting participants.

3. The creation of an inspiring, pertinent, and inclusive vision of the future. Once the stakeholders gained knowledge about the airport, they directly asked the airport’s current administration to go beyond their own limits, considering the current transition period that the Mexican airport system is undergoing. The Queretaro International Airport, in coordination and cooperation with the leading airports in Mexico, could become one of the four most important airports in the country, allowing Mexico to have the connectivity that it deserves for the future, maintaining the competitiveness that has distinguished us. The result is the creation of an inspiring, pertinent, and inclusive vision of the future.

Conclusions

The process of creating The Strategic Plan of the Queretaro International Airport to 2050 has been delivering direct and unexpected gains since its launch as a project. The exercise of having the airport’s inventory of stakeholders, contacting them and having face-to-face meetings to understand their points of view of the function the airport must have in the future has brought unexpected and highly valued benefits for the development of the airport. Among the high-impact deliverables, we could mention the creation of a win-win network of relationships that will keep the institution permanently linked to all its stakeholders. The airport should promote the creation of an advisory board for the Queretaro International Airport, a mechanism that will allow the opening of a permanent and live communication channel with its stakeholders for the future.

Photo by:   Jorge Gutiérrez De Velasco Rodríguez

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