By Herbert Barnes is the Product Director at TADERA
Introduction: The Revenue Challenge
Airports are more than just transportation hubs — they’re complex businesses managing diverse streams of revenue. From retail concessions, parking, advertising, and long-term property leases, each transaction contributes to the bottom line. Yet too often, airports use fragmented systems to track these transactions.
Many airports still rely on spreadsheets, disconnected billing tools, or legacy systems that aren’t built for the specific needs of airports. The outcome is predictable: delayed invoicing, revenue leakage, compliance risks, and frustrated tenants. Finance teams spend more time reconciling data than analyzing it, and executives lack the visibility needed to make strategic decisions.
At the same time, the industry faces growing pressure to diversify non-aeronautical revenue and comply with accounting standards like GASB 87. Without the right tools, these pressures can feel insurmountable. That’s where integrated airport property and lease management software becomes transformative.
The Case for Integration
Siloed systems don’t just slow down processes — they cost airports money. Every missed lease renewal, every missed rate increase, every delayed invoice, and every manual error chips away at profitability. For CFOs and COOs, the question isn’t whether revenue is being lost, but how much.
An integrated airport finance software platform addresses these challenges head-on:
- Accuracy: Manage lease terms, tenant data, and billing rules in one system, reducing the risk of errors.
- Efficiency: Automated billing and receivables processes replace weeks of manual effort.
- Transparency: Executives gain real-time visibility into aeronautical and non-aeronautical revenue streams.
- Compliance: Built-in GASB 87 functionality ensures accounting accuracy and audit readiness.
- Tenant Satisfaction: Digital portals make it easier for tenants to pay, report, and manage their accounts.
This isn’t just about better tools — it’s about creating a connected financial ecosystem. Airport leaders at some of the world’s largest airports have found success with business and revenue solutions that can unify property, lease, and billing operations into a single source of truth.
Key Features of Modern Solutions
Modern airport revenue management solutions go far beyond simple invoicing – they empower finance leaders with insights and automation that drive growth.
- Real-Time Financial Insights
Dashboards and analytics provide instant visibility into revenue performance, tenant obligations, and cash flow projections. Finance leaders can see the most profitable leases, delinquent tenants, and trends in non-aeronautical activities.
- Automated Billing & Receivables
Manual invoicing is a thing of the past. Whether it’s rent, utilities, landing fees, or concession revenue, airports can generate invoices automatically tied directly to agreements. Built-in accounts receivable tools track balances, apply payments, and even calculate late fees, dramatically improving collections efficiency.
- GASB 87 Compliance
The new lease accounting standards have added layers of complexity to airport finance. With automated GASB 87 workflows, airports can classify leases, calculate valuations, and generate audit-ready reports in minutes — not weeks.
- ERP & General Ledger Integration
Disconnected systems lead to duplicate entries and reconciliation headaches. An integrated ERP platform ensures financial data flows accurately across the organization, with all transactions properly recorded in the general ledger.
- Tenant Self-Service Portals
Empower tenants to update contacts, access invoices, make secure payments, and even submit concession sales reports online. This not only improves tenant experience but also accelerates collections and reduces staff workload.
Together, these capabilities allow airports to shift from reactive financial management to proactive revenue optimization.
Airports that have implemented integrated business and property management solutions have benefited from:
- Optimized space utilization and revenue generation.
- Automated invoicing processes, cutting billing cycles from weeks to days.
- Reduced receivables aging by introducing a tenant self-service portal.
- Automated alerts for critical dates (renewals, rent escalations, option periods), centralized document storage, and standardized approval workflows reduce risk and ensure no revenue opportunities are missed. Eliminated compliance headaches with automated GASB 87 reporting.
This results in both cleaner books and a cultural shift – by minimizing repetitive clerical work, the property management team could focus on strategic portfolio optimization, tenant relationship management, and proactive lease negotiations. Property managers can now monitor lease agreement milestones such as rent escalations, option exercise deadlines, and lease renewals in real-time, preventing revenue leakage and maximizing the value of every square foot of airport real estate.
Conclusion: Next Steps for Airport Property and Finance Leaders
As the revenue landscape for airports evolves, aeronautical fees alone can no longer sustain growth, and airports need to focus on non-aeronautical revenue optimization and compliance-critical processes like GASB 87.
Airports that continue to rely on fragmented systems will struggle to keep pace. Those that adopt integrated airport property and revenue management systems will enjoy stronger cash flow, greater compliance confidence, and sharper decision-making power.
For CFOs, COOs, and finance leaders, the choice is clear: integrated solutions like TADERA ABRM are no longer optional — they’re essential.
About the Author:
Herbert Barnes is the Product Director at TADERA, where he plays a key role in the development of TADERA’s financial software suite, including Airport Business & Revenue Manager (ABRM). His expertise spans system implementation, change management, and strategic planning, enabling organizations to leverage enterprise technology to achieve their business objectives.
DISCLAIMER
This article was provided by a third party and, as such, the views expressed therein and/or presented are their own and may not represent or reflect the views of Airports Council International-North America (ACI-NA), its management, Board, or members. Readers should not act on the basis of any information contained in the blog without referring to applicable laws and regulations and/or without appropriate professional advice.