Air Business Academy

William Gibson

Background

William leads AirBusiness Academy’s Aviation Management training and consulting practice, which encompasses Aviation Strategy, Airline Operational Management, Airline Maintenance Management, and Aircraft Manufacturer Business.  Customers for this practice include aircraft and engine manufacturers, airline and airport managers, civil aviation authorities, and financial firms.  William’s team of three internal ABA consultants and a network of over 20 external aviation consultants and aviation executives works together to help over 400 aviation professionals each year improve their business and management skills in today’s highly dynamic airline arena.

William’s vision for aviation management development includes simulating the airline management environment in our courses, as a means to build understanding of airline profit dynamics, while building strong teamwork, cohesion and creativity in a world of strong market pressure and competition.   To facilitate this, the Aviation Management group developed ABA’s computerized learning platform, the Competitive Airline Simulation, or CAST, and uses the simulation in over 25 management development courses each year.

William’s international airline consulting experience includes recent advisory projects in business plan development, fleet planning, and aircraft financing.   Currently in final stages of PhD research at Cranfield University, William’s primary research area is aircraft investment analysis and fleet planning.  He is the author of several articles and is a regular speaker at conferences such as Air Transport Research Society and SpeedNews Suppliers’ Conference in Toulouse.

Prior to joining AirBusiness Academy, William worked in financial analysis and risk management with Citibank, where he was responsible for portfolio forecasting and risk analysis, management control, capacity planning and budgeting. He also founded and managed consulting firms in San Francisco and in France, and taught Business at San Francisco City College.

Papers

• Aircraft Lessor Prospects and Lease Valuation for Airlines
  IATA Economics, October 2008
  

• Airline Fleet Planning and Aircraft Investment Appraisal
  ATRS World Conference Paper 2007.

• Aircraft Financial Evaluation Survey
  ATRS World Conference Paper 2005.

• Theory and Practice in Aircraft Financial Evaluation
  Published in the Journal of Air Transport Management, October 2004.

• Aviation Finance Glossary
  In our work with aviation professionals, we find a wide variety of interpretations of even the most fundamental financial terms.  This glossary is intended to help clarify terminology, right at the outset of a consulting or training project.

Conference Speaker

‘Financial crisis and aviation, one year on’
SpeedNews Aviation Industry Suppliers Conference (2009)

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