When regulatory changes become a driver for business model innovation: an illustrative case in an Italian airport

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of how an airport’s business model (BM) has been innovated. In particular, it considers a BM innovation owing to an exogenous driver, i.e. a change in the legislative environment. Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents an in-depth case study. It analyses the case of an Italian regional airport that has been renewed by changes in the National Plan of Transport. Findings – The paper extends previous research on BM and air transport industry in two ways. First, the authors contribute to Gillen’s (2011) framework, via introducing a new kind of ownership/governance structure, that of long-term concession, characterized by the concession of the comprehensive management to a private company for 30 years. Second, the authors look at how a BM has been implemented and used as a manipulating device over the two phases of the airport development, namely, incubation and generation. Originality/value – The paper provides an in-depth case study on an airport BMinnovation.