Schedule mock interviews on the Meeting Board, join the latest community discussions in our Consulting Q&A and find like-minded Case Partners to connect and practice with!
Back to overview

Calculation Airport Passengers in 1 year

Hi everyone, 
I was recently asked to calculate the passengers of an airport in 1 year. I used the method of what I assume would be the bottom-up approach: # of runways, utilization of runways, opening hours airport, # of planes on runway, capacity planes and utilization of planes, etc. I got pretty close to the exact number, so I assume this was a good approach :)
However, could someone please explain to me how the top-down approach would look like? Would I start with the percentage of travellers flying for leisure/work etc.? And how would I proceed then?
Thanks a lot in advance!

1 Answer
5.5k Views
8
Be the first to answer!
Nobody has responded to this question yet.
Top answer
Michal
Coach
on May 18, 2017
Ex-Bain consultant, got offers from McK, BCG, Bain. Now a Product Manager at a startup

Hi Franziska,

I'd try the following:

1. The population served by a particular airport (if there are several airports in an area, also assume an airport's share)

2. Based on personal experience, estimate the number of people flying for business and leisure (tough)

3. Estimate how many times a year they fly (easier)

As always with these cases, there are many ways to do it and this is just one. Also this top-down approach will be less accurate than what you came up with.

Hope it was helpful!

Best,

Michal

on May 18, 2017
Thank you very much Michal!!
on May 19, 2017
Great insight, Michal! I'd still advise against using the demand side for this estimation, though. Mainly because of the type of assumptions one will have to make. For this case, and for any other estimation case where the supply side is the constraining factor, you have to go with a supply side estimation.
Similar Questions
Consulting
Einstieg bei einer Top-Beratung (McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Roland Berger)
on Nov 11, 2015
Global
1 Answer
14.1k Views
Top answer by
45
1 Answer
14.1k Views
Consulting
Difference between first round and second round interviews?
on May 28, 2020
Global
18 Answers
25.4k Views
Top answer by
Anonymous
32
18 Answers
25.4k Views
+15
Consulting
Market Sizing Case Question: How big is the market for physicians in the US?
on Dec 12, 2015
Global
3 Answers
14.6k Views
Top answer by
Anonymous
22
3 Answers
14.6k Views
How likely are you to recommend us to a friend or fellow student?
0 = Not likely
10 = Very likely
You are a true consultant! Thank you for consulting us on how to make PrepLounge even better!