The role of collaboration and innovation in the future of APAC airport revenue

Airports across the APAC region are facing unprecedented competition for passengers and revenue. 

Changing traveller expectations, new mobility options, and the need to maximise every revenue opportunity are reshaping how airports operate. 

At FTE Asia 2025, Josh Bakhbakhi, Vice President of Growth – APAC at CAVU, will share his insights on how collaboration and commercial innovation are driving sustainable growth in the region. 

We caught up with Josh ahead of the event to explore the opportunities and challenges for airports and to hear his advice on how they can use partnerships, data, and innovation to unlock new revenue streams and improve the passenger experience. 

CAVU: You’ll be speaking at FTE Asia 2025 on collaboration and innovation in the APAC region. From your experience, why are these themes so critical for airports here today? 

Josh: Airports across the globe are facing unprecedented competition for passengers and revenue, with evolving traveller expectations and new mobility options.  

Collaboration and innovation are critical because no single stakeholder, whether an airport, airline or technology provider, can deliver growth alone. 

By working together and experimenting with new commercial models, airports can not only optimise existing assets like parking and lounges but also create entirely new revenue streams that improve the passenger experience. 

CAVU: As Vice President of Growth for APAC at CAVU, you’ve worked closely with airports and partners across the region. What shifts are you seeing in how they approach revenue generation and new business opportunities? 

Josh: I’m seeing a real shift from reactive revenue management to proactive, data-driven commercial strategies. Airports are moving beyond traditional aeronautical revenue and looking at how to monetise every touchpoint in the passenger journey. 

Pre-booking, dynamic pricing, ancillary bundles, and integrated offers with airlines or mobility providers are becoming standard tools rather than exceptions. There’s also a stronger focus on using digital platforms to understand and influence passenger behaviour before they even arrive at the terminal. 

CAVU: Collaboration often sounds simple, but can be hard to achieve. What common obstacles have you seen in APAC and how have airports successfully overcome them? 

Josh: Collaboration can be deceptively hard. Common obstacles include siloed teams, misaligned commercial incentives, or legacy technology that doesn’t integrate easily.  

Airports that succeed tend to focus on shared KPIs and clear governance, making sure all parties see the mutual benefit. 

For example, aligning the commercial teams of the airport and technology partner around incremental revenue and passenger satisfaction creates accountability and shared motivation. 

CAVU: Innovation always carries some level of risk. In your view, how can airports strike the right balance between experimenting with new ideas and protecting their core business? 

Josh: Innovation always carries risk, but it’s about measured experimentation. Successful airports run pilots in controlled segments, for example, testing dynamic parking pricing or ancillary bundles with a subset of products or at specific terminals, and use real-time analytics to monitor impact. This allows them to innovate without jeopardising core operations and scale only what works. 

CAVU: Looking ahead, where do you see the biggest untapped opportunities for APAC airports to unlock new revenue streams? 

Josh: There’s significant untapped potential in the broader mobility and ancillary ecosystem. Many airports focus on passengers who already use parking or lounges, but modal share analysis often shows that a large proportion still arrive via rideshare, taxi or public transport. 

Converting even a fraction of those passengers, or bundling services such as fast track, lounge access, and EV charging, could unlock substantial revenue. Subscription models, loyalty-linked offers, and digital-first pre-booking experiences are also under-exploited in the region. 

CAVU: Not every airport has the scale or resources of a major hub. What practical steps can smaller airports take to foster innovation and collaboration without stretching themselves too thin? 

Josh: Smaller airports may not have the scale of a major hub, but they can still innovate smartly. Start with partnerships and use technology providers and airlines to test new ideas without heavy upfront investment. 

Focus on high-impact, low-complexity initiatives, for instance, introducing pre-booking for parking, simple lounge upsells, or bundling services. Using data to understand customer behaviour and optimise existing offerings often delivers more immediate ROI than big, resource-intensive projects. 

CAVU: Without giving too much away from your session, what is the one key message you hope the FTE Asia audience will take with them? 

Josh: If there’s one thing I hope the audience takes away, it’s this: growth at airports today isn’t just about infrastructure, it’s about working together, experimenting smartly, and using digital tools to unlock revenue across every touchpoint of the passenger journey. Collaboration and innovation are no longer optional; they’re the engines for sustainable, future-proof growth. 

Discover how to unlock new revenue at FTE Asia 2025 

Collaboration and innovation are essential for airports aiming to thrive in today’s competitive landscape. 

Josh’s insights show that by experimenting smartly, partnering effectively, and using data to drive commercial strategies, airports can unlock new revenue across every touchpoint of the passenger journey. 

If you’re attending FTE Asia 2025, don’t miss Josh on the panel discussion, ‘Embracing collaboration and commercial innovation to create new revenue and business opportunities.’  

You can also meet the CAVU team at Booth D9 to explore how your airport can turn smarter partnerships into profitable opportunities. 

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