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44 CHAPTER SEVEN CONCLUSIONS MAJOR CONCLUSIONS Analysis of the data led to 11 major conclusions: 1. A successful business continuity plan (BCP) reflects the unique needs of an airport. 2. Small airports benefit from having operational recovery plans such as BCPs and continuity of operations plans (COOPs). These may be formal or informal; however, a formal, written plan or intentional integration of continuity practices into airport functional plans appears to have greater benefits. Small airports can benefit from a simple BCP that is not expensive to implement. 3. The benefits of written plans include increased preparedness, improved recovery and response, reduced liability, improved insurance rating, decreased downtime, better relationships with tenants, and improved perception of the airport and how it is managed. 4. The BCP may be separate from the COOP or integrated with it. BCPs deal with operational continuity, focusing most heavily on business functions. COOPs typically focus on operational issues. 5. A relatively small number of airports in all categories, including small airports, have adopted formal, written BCPs. 6. Typically, airports operate in a culture of safety, with the primary focus on preventing, preparing for, mitigating, and recovering from aeronautical emergencies. This approach to operational recoveryâtypically based on National Inci- dent Management System (NIMS) principlesâcan be expanded or combined to include recovery of airport business functions. 7. Recognizing that continuity practices are valuable to the business and operations of the airport, small airports are interested in having tools that streamline recovery planning. Appendices T and U provide a template and checklist, respectively, and Appendices G through S provide samples and tools that can be adapted for a specific airport. 8. Small airports can benefit by leveraging recovery tools used by their local governments, sponsors, and other stakehold- ers. Building relationshipsâboth internal and externalâis integral to developing effective BCPs/COOPs. 9. Small airports that are contemplating the development of continuity plans or practices can benefit from examining the practices other airports have implemented. 10. BCPs and COOPs are living documents; they must be flexible, scalable, revisable, and exercised. 11. As part of the BCP/COOP development and maintenance process, airports expect to interact more extensively with tenants and outside agencies, both for coordination and to access resources. FURTHER RESEARCH Further research is not necessary, because this synthesis simply describes the application of existing practices to small air- ports. Specifically, the synthesis uses case examples to extract directly applicable tools as described in ACRP Report 93: Operational and Business Continuity Planning for Prolonged Airport Disruptions.
