When we put the world map in front of us, we see that the center of civil aviation is shifting from west to east. Existing data show that Istanbul will soon be one of the most important hubs in the future of aviation. The Turkish Civil Aviation sector is becoming the leading player across the Euro-Asia region and the world. By 2023, Istanbul is expected to reach a capacity of 200 million passengers per year with the world’s third-biggest airport. Accordingly, there is a severe need for aviation experts and managers with industry knowledge.
The Air Transport Management Master’s Program is a unique program presented with the Turkish Airlines Aviation Academy and AirBusiness Academy (Airbus) partnership. To this end, the ATM master’s program aims to train experts, visionary managers, and researchers in the aviation industry.
ATM master’s program at Ibn Haldun University provides an aviation-oriented but versatile and interdisciplinary education. The program consists of fundamentals of aviation management, aviation economy and finance, fleet planning, revenue management, supply chain management, service management, information systems, and business analytics. The program is one of the few international programs in aviation, with its curriculum tailored to globally renowned partners focusing on current aviation practices. The program is enriched with elective courses that can be taken according to the field of interest in addition to the compulsory courses. ATM, designed to train the future leaders of the aviation industry with industrial and academic experts, offers hands-on practice with a master’s thesis and graduation project.
Assoc. Prof. Ali Osman Kuşakcı
With an international profile of students and academics reflecting the program's rich cultural and professional background, our graduates become part of a unique network in the aviation sector. Furthermore, with the achievements they have gained throughout the program, our graduates become familiar with novel developments in the aviation industry and analyze business models and processes in the field. Thus, a practice-oriented education approach is applied in the program. In this way, our graduates, who know the operational tools for solving industry-specific problems and cases, can utilize them correctly.
Thus, our graduates become natural candidates for managerial positions in aviation firms. Some of the employment areas, according to the graduate profile of the program, are:
Airline companies
Airport operators
Aircraft maintenance and repair (MRO) companies
Consulting firms
Aviation and space industry firms
Academic institutions providing education in the field of aviation
| IBN HALDUN UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF GRADUATE STUDIES CURRICULUM OF AIR TRANSPORT MANAGEMENT (THESIS) MASTER OF SCIENCE PROGRAM |
|||||
| I. Semester | |||||
| Course Code | Course Name | Hours | Credit | ECTS | |
| T | U | ||||
| AIR 502 | Fundamentals of Airline Management | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| AIR 503 | Aviation Economics and Financial Analysis | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| AIR 505 | Airlines Marketing Strategies | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| AIR 515 | Information Systems and Business Analytics in Air Transportation | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Total Credit | 12 | 32 | |||
| II. Semester | |||||
| Course Code | Course Name | Hours | Credit | ECTS | |
| T | U | ||||
| AIR 500 | Seminar | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| AIR 501 | Research Methods and Publication Ethics | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| AIR 506 | Airline Business Models and Strategic Management | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| AIR 513 | Network, Fleet and Schedule Planning | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| AIR 523 | Revenue Management in Aviation | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| Total Credit | 12 | 35 | |||
| III. Semester | |||||
| Course Code | Course Name | Hours | Credit | ECTS | |
| T | U | ||||
| AIR… | Departmental Elective | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| AIR… | Departmental Elective | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| AIR… | Departmental Elective | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| AIR… | Departmental Elective | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| AIR 595 | Graduation Project | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Total Credit | 12 | 36 | |||
| Overall Total Credit | 36 | 103 | |||
| COMPULSORY COURSES | |||||
| Course Code | Course Name | Hours | Credit | ECTS | |
| T | U | ||||
| AIR 500 | Seminar | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| AIR 501 | Research Methods and Publication Ethics | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| AIR 502 | Fundamentals of Airline Management | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| AIR 503 | Aviation Economics and Financial Analysis | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| AIR 505 | Airlines Marketing Strategies | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| AIR 506 | Airline Business Models and Strategic Management | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| AIR 513 | Network, Fleet and Schedule Planning | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| AIR 515 | Information Systems and Business Analytics in Air Transportation | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| AIR 523 | Revenue Management in Aviation | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| DEPARTMENTAL ELECTIVE COURSES | |||||
| Course Code | Course Name | Hours | Credit | ECTS | |
| T | U | ||||
| AIR 504 | Supply Chain and Logistics in Air Transportation | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| AIR 511 | Air Law and Regulations | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| AIR 514 | Airport Planning and Management | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| AIR 517 | Aviation Safety, Security and Crisis Management | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| AIR 518 | Service Management and Innovation | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| AIR 521 | Management of Engineering Projects | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| AIR 522 | International Strategic Management | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| AIR 524 | Project Finance in Air Transportation | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| AIR 525 | Flight and Ground Operations | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| AIR 526 | International Human Resources Management | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| AIR 527 | Organizational Behavior in Aviation | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
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This course provides a forum for students to discuss and generate ideas on issues related to various applied research. Students conduct an in-depth study of a research topic of their choice, discuss issues with experts in the field of research, work in discussion groups, debate and solve problems on selected issues. In the research seminar, the students can integrate their knowledge, skills, and practical experience gained in the program to shape their thesis and graduation projects.
The course aims to develop: (i) students’ understanding of the process involved in the pursuit of knowledge; (ii) skills in obtaining and interpreting secondary data using internet and library sources; (iii) teaming and group effectiveness skills; (iv) written and verbal communication skills; and (v) statistical analysis skills. By the end of this course, students will be able to: (i) understand the business research process and why it takes time, and money to do it right; (ii) demonstrate the ability to apply appropriate research methods to business problems or opportunities; (iii) demonstrate the ability to think conceptually and develop abstract ideas or concepts to more concrete solutions or results; and (iv) demonstrate the ability to conduct primary and secondary research, analyze results, develop findings, report and interpret results.
This course aims to develop an understanding of the roles, responsibilities, and skills required for managers in today’s changing organizations of the airline industry by analyzing the characteristics of successful managers and organizations. The major topics in this course are the environment of management, decision-making and planning, organizational architecture, and managing individuals and groups. The topics such as current market outlook, airline strategies & business models, airline economics, network & fleet planning, and airplane value analysis will be incorporated as appropriate throughout the course program.
The fierce competition with the increasing number of airline companies in the aviation industry pushes professionals working in this sector to learn more about making strong partnerships and alliances, referring to potential economic and financial outcomes. To ease this task for managers, this course aims to provide the necessary background about the fundamentals of airline economics and financial performance. In this context, funding sources for carriers, financial analysis of air transportation companies, airport operators, ground handling agencies, cargo agencies, and financial planning matters will be handled. The difference in the economics of various carrier business models (full-service network carriers, low-cost carriers, ultra-low-cost carriers, and charters) will be illustrated.
The course aims to create a forum to adopt the key elements of marketing strategy for airlines and airports and to address some of the current and future challenges in the field. This course will discuss the distribution of airline products, customer loyalty schemes, brand management, air transportation marketing principles, and practices.
The aims of the course are to provide students with an opportunity to develop their critical reasoning and analytical skills, enhance their ability to work effectively within a group and make effective executive-level presentations within an airline business gaming environment. Students will have basic knowledge of core business concepts in strategic management and competition in the aviation industry. On successful completion of the module, students will be able to: (i) demonstrate a systematic understanding of the differing theories, approaches, and perspectives in the field of airline strategy; (ii) understand the integrative role of strategic management, its concepts, research, and theories; (iii) access how different strategies impact the competitiveness of airlines; and (iv) collect information from a variety of electronic (internet) and hard copy sources to support research.
This course intends to make the students familiar with the techniques used in airline planning processes, fleet planning, route network design, and scheduling. The topics included within the course are supported by examples taken from real-life cases and situations. The students, by successfully completing this course, will understand how a company’s profitability depends on the network and fleet plan, learn key elements of demand and route forecasting, create a schedule that effectively utilizes aircraft resources, improves aircraft and fleet utilization, implement successful scheduling strategies, reviews passenger traffic demand, flight schedule data and optimization tools.
Throughout this course, management information systems specific to airlines will be considered. The course will cover topics such as the structure of operational data, strategic usage of management information systems in air transportation, display of electronic information, airline information security management, and the future of management information systems in the airline industry. Another focal point of the course will be business analytics aiming to access the critical information and business processes needed to deliver optimal customer service. Analytic tools can be especially useful in helping aviation companies mine data to determine which information is valuable for optimizing business outcomes. Accordingly, contemporary business intelligence approaches such as machine learning, deep learning with artificial intelligence algorithms, and their application strategies to the air transportation industry will be discussed in the course.
With the liberalization of the aviation business in the early 1980s, Revenue Management (RM) has become an integral component of the strategic management of an airline company. Unique characteristics of the service that airline companies provide open up countless many pricing and segmentation possibilities to differentiate the product, price, and/or target group. Thus, special attention must be paid to RM policies, which may lead to competitive advantage if correctly implemented. Topics to be covered in this course include the purpose of RM, the importance of pricing, types of passenger demand, booking classes, seat inventory management, spill and spoilage, revenue analysis, and revenue management systems.
This course essentially deals with the coordination of multiple value-creating processes including the management of materials, information, and finance flows within the supply chain. Driven by fierce global competition and enabled by advanced information technology, many airline companies have taken initiatives to reduce costs and, at the same time, increase responsiveness to changes in the marketplace. In this context, the course will provide information and tools necessary to develop, implement, and sustain strategies for managing supply chain issues in the aviation industry. The course covers topics are; building a strategic framework to manage supply chains, designing the right supply chain network, planning demand, and supply, managing inventories, and sustainability in the supply chain.
This course seeks to introduce students to various issues surrounding the law and regulation of aviation and the airline business following the deregulation and liberalization of the aviation market. It begins by examining relevant principles and rules of international law that affect the use of air space. The liability regime governing air carriers and manufacturers is discussed, as are issues of concern to the airline business, such as competition, mergers and acquisitions, airline alliances, aircraft finance, and consumer protection. Some of the topics that will be covered with respect to contracting in air transportation are as follows: definition of contract and contracting sides, the definition of common law, objective test, main principles of offers and acceptance, offers and counter-offers, bilateral and unilateral contracts, pricing in contracts, interpretation and consideration in contracts, methods for dealing with uncertainties in contracts, conditions and promises in contracts, stable and changing conditions and promises in contracts, breach, and repudiation of contracts, differences between breach and repudiation, remedies of breach of contract, management of contracts, management in global contracts, risk management and opportunity evaluation in contract management, contracts and commercial laws in air transportation, selection of contractors and subcontractors in air transportation, employment laws, and unions.
This module gives the students an opportunity to review the organization and management of the airport business. In this context, airport economics and managerial and financial performance will be assessed by referring to aeronautical and non-aeronautical issues. The course will also discuss airport and terminal operations, airport marketing, expansion strategies, and the functional role of regional and international airports.
This course addresses a broad spectrum of competencies and issues in international aviation safety and security. Programs in safety management systems, safety oversight management and inspection, accident investigation, human factors, and aviation medicine address the critical safety and health issues impacting aviation. Aviation security programs in the areas of risk assessment, airline, and airport security impart crucial skills and insights and are in tandem with international best practices and regulatory mandates. Besides managerial aspects of pre-accident/pre-disaster measures, the course also addresses crisis management tools as an integral part of risk management during the post-accident/post-disaster phase. Lectures are complemented by practical syndicate group exercises and site visits to enrich the curriculum.
This course is designed for those who are or will be, working in aviation service management and gives clues about how to improve service management to establish an excellent business relationship with the customers. A special focus of the course will be how to create and adopt service innovations in air transportation. Accordingly, the principles that lead to high-quality services in the aviation industry will be also discussed via successful innovation stories in the sector.
This course presents the principles and techniques of managing engineering projects from the initiation phase, through planning, execution, control, and closeout. Students will develop the analytical skills and awareness necessary on the management side of engineering projects. Topics include project initiation, estimating, budgeting, developing work plans, scheduling, tracking work, resource allocation, project coordination, quality management, leadership, managing teams, conflict, negotiations, ethics, and professional responsibility and closeout.
The objectives of this capstone course are as follows: (i) to integrate your understanding of the functional fields and analytical tools studied in other management and business-related courses in air transportation management; (ii) to develop a clear understanding of the concepts and strategy and policy, particularly as it pertains to the global strategic mission of the firm; (iii) to understand policy issues of implementation and control of strategy; (iv) to introduce special global issues in strategic planning such as mergers, acquisitions, strategic alliances in global air transportation companies. Some of the relevant themes to be covered in this course are strategy and competitive advantage in multinational companies, evaluating the strategies of diversified companies, as well as issues concerning strategy implementation such as building resource capabilities, structuring the organization, the role of strategy-supportive budgets, policies, reward structures, organizational culture, leadership and reward policies.
Long-term finance is a critical factor in taking decisions related to long-term projects in the air transportation industry. This course aims to provide a perspective on the basic theoretical underpinnings of project finance together with practical implications specific to the air transportation industry. Topics to be covered include financial modeling for macro and micro factors, risks, and operational cash flows that might affect project valuation. In addition, evaluation of different debt- or equity-based financing options such as syndicated loans, loans by international financial institutions, and multilateral banks, leasing, project bonds, Sukuk, and equity, and deciding upon the optimal capital structure are other major themes to be explained via some empirical examples form air transportation business.
Ground Operations involve all aspects of aircraft handling at airports as well as aircraft movement around the aerodrome. The safety challenges of ground operations arise, in part, directly from those operations. This course addresses topics such as human factors in-flight and ground operations, passenger and baggage handling operations, aircraft weight and balance, airport services, and IGOM implementation and standardized procedures.
The goal of this course is to provide you with a solid understanding of the complexities of international human resource management (IHRM). We will survey the strategic and cultural context of IHRM, the functional aspects of IHRM (such as international workforce planning, international recruitment & selection, international training & development, etc.), and identify some of the challenges of managing diversified employees around the globe. The class consists of lectures, case analysis, class discussions, presentations, and exercises. Because this course is heavily case-based, it is essential that students prepare in advance for the classes and engage in-class discussion.
man@ihu.edu.tr