About the diploma

5 LIVE virtual classroom courses to be completed in 2 years

The Professional Certificate in Air Transportation Principles and Policy provides professionals with a solid foundation of knowledge about the effects of government policy on the economic and regulatory environment in which civil aviation either flourishes or struggles. This program is offered in partnership with Carleton University’s School of Public Policy and Administration, through its Transportation Policy Innovation Centre.

Gain insight into the workings of the air transport industry and the effect on it of government policy as well as the objectives, pressures and assumptions of public policymakers who regulate their sector and shape the economic framework that drives the air transport business. Governments sometimes formulate policy without much knowledge or appreciation of the economic imperatives facing airlines, airport authorities and air navigation service providers, or the reasons for business decisions that those organizations make. For their part, airlines, airport authorities and air navigation service-providers sometimes under-estimate the complexity of public policy-making, and over-estimate the tempo at which it can occur.

Brochure

Sound bites

Webinar

Course code: DIPL-127

What you will learn

Upon completion of this program you will be able to:

• Demonstrate your ability to influence national and international frameworks to sustain a vibrant industry serving social and economic needs
• In the public sector you will be able to demonstrate a solid theoretical and practical understanding of how the air transport industry functions and the challenges it faces to remain financially viable
• In the private sector you will extend your grasp of the inner workings of the entire industry and the government decision-making processes to make you an effective interlocutor for your company and for the aviation industry as a whole

Program format

This program comprises 5 LIVE virtual courses.

• Step 1: complete the 3 required courses for the Program.
• Step 2: choose a Stream to follow and complete the (1) required course for that Stream.
• Step 3: complete 1 elective course (for all Streams).

Choose to specialize in 1 Stream:

• Airline stream
• Airport stream
• Safety stream
• Security stream
• Environmental stream

The total cost for the program (5 courses) is USD7,650. Payment is accepted in 2 installments.

Prerequisites

• A university degree is recommended. However, an acceptable combination of education and work experience could be considered based on consultation with the Program’s registration counsellor.
• You should work or recently have been recruited to work in one of these organizations in a policymaking or regulatory governance role in air transport.
• The recommended level of language proficiency is ICAO Operational Level 4 for courses in English.

Recommended level

• Intermediate

3 required courses (all Streams)

Fundamentals of the Air Transport System
This course is designed to provide a roadmap to the understanding of the air transport industry. It uses a multidisciplinary approach of analysis, combining economic and business principles, public policy, law and international relations, among others. A practitioner’s perspective is also provided to help you integrate theoretical concepts with real-life decisions of the various players in the air transport ecosystem. At the end of the course, you will be able to explain the key components of the sector as well as its economic and legal underpinnings. In addition, you will gain critical insights into the challenges and issues faced by airlines, airports, air navigation service providers and governments. This course must be completed in Step 1, before taking courses for the Stream you choose to follow.

Public Policy and Regulation for Civil Aviation
This course is about regulatory governance in civil aviation -- how, and to what extent, governments exercise their formal legislative authority along with a broad range of other tools to encourage or compel certain business behaviors in the air transport sector. It will cover the main principles of public policy and policy making, the role and impact of stakeholders’ influence on policy making, how regulations are made, how policy arguments should be analyzed, and IATA’s Smarter Regulation Initiative. A practitioner’s perspective is also provided to help you integrate theoretical concepts with real-life government decisions. At the end of the course, you will be able to understand the complexity and pace of how governments make decisions that impact the business and operational environments of the main components of the civil aviation ecosystem as well as have a better appreciation for the level of aggregation of issues a regulator has to take into account.

Air Transport Economics
The course will introduce you to the fundamental concepts of economic analysis, with specific application to airline operations and the air transport industry. You will learn how these tools can be used to assess current and emerging industry trends and issues – including the role of regulation and state policy decisions. At the end of the course, you will be able to understand and explain key economic concepts as they relate to the air transport industry; the impact of public policy and regulatory frameworks on air transportation; analyze air transport issues using various economic frameworks and tools and learn how they can be applied in the workplace; and identify and assess the main long-term issues and challenges facing the industry.

1 required course for the Stream you choose to follow

Airline Stream
Airline Business Foundations

Airport Stream
Airport Master Planning

Safety Stream
Safety (SMS) and Quality Management (QMS) Processes in Civil Aviation

Security Stream
Aviation Security Management

Environmental Stream
Aviation and the Environment

Choose 1 elective course (all Streams)

Please note that a course may either be taken as a Required or Elective course.

• Air Cargo Management (the virtual version will be available in 2023)
• Air Transport Statistics
• Airline Business Foundations
• Airline Financial Management (the virtual version will be available in 2023)
• Airline Safety Investigation
• Airport Master Planning
• Airport Route Development and Commercial Management (the virtual version will be available in 2023)
• Airport Security Operations Optimization (the virtual version will be available in 2023)
• Aviation and the Environment
• Aviation Cyber Security
• Aviation Law for Managers (non-lawyers)
• Aviation Security Management
• Carbon Markets and Aviation
• Design a Sustainability Strategy - Fundamentals
• Flight Data Analysis for Airlines
• Human Factors in Aviation
• International Negotiation Skills
• Managing the Safety Oversight Function (the virtual version will be available in 2023)
• Route Forecasting and Development
• Safety (SMS) and Quality Management (QMS) Processes in Civil Aviation
• Safety Management Systems (SMS) for Airlines
• Safety Risk Management
• Security Management System (SeMS)
• Sustainable Airline Business Management (the virtual version will be available in 2023)

Certificate awarded

Upon successful completion of the program, you will be awarded an IATA-Carleton University Professional Certificate in Air Transportation Principles and Policy.

Who should attend

• Entry- and intermediate-level analysts and managers in government, the air transport industry or organizations that interact or do business with air transportation.
• Senior managers in government who expect to take on significant new responsibilities for policymaking in air transport.
• Managers in airlines, airports and air navigation service provider organizations whose job responsibilities include establishing and maintaining influential relationships with government policymakers.