Insights for what's next

Explore practical perspectives that turn complex challenges and emerging trends into real-world outcomes.

71 items
Report

Airport performance indicators

Flying high: 36 key indicators to optimize airport performance The question is: how do airports globally ensure they grow at a sustainable rate and generate more commercial value than industry peers? By measuring and optimizing the right metrics. We've done the hard work for you: our report, now complemented by an executive summary, takes readily available but complex industry information, applies our expert analysis using a best-in-class approach and pulls out key insights in the executive summary. Our report dives deep into the performance of 48 major airports from across the world using 36 key financial and operational performance metrics to elevate your strategic planning with real industry insights. Airports featured include Heathrow, Brisbane, Hong Kong, New York (JFK), San Francisco and Vienna. Whether you’re an airport interested in how your revenue performance per passenger compares to your peers, an airline seeking powerful insights to inform discussions with the airports you use, or a regulator wanting to understand an airport’s operating cost efficiency, this report is designed to provide you with insights to unlock better decision-making with normalized industry data. 5.2 billion passengers are expected to use airports globally in 2026 according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), marking a 4.4% increase from 2025 and the first time surpassing the five billion mark. These numbers underscore aviation's pivotal role in the global economy and show how airports have rebounded from the pandemic slump. However, not all airports are growing or performing at the same level, with the gap between

Aerial view of a gently curving paved road cutting through pale sand dunes, with scattered green shrubs casting long shadows across the arid landscape.
Thought Leadership

Driving results: how public private partnership agreements improve aging roads

How can governments keep roads safe and traffic flowing over time? This article explores how operations and maintenance provisions in brownfield highway Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) improve infrastructure outcomes and maximize long-term value. Download or continue reading below. Download Article Now (PDF 1.5MB) Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) — also known as P3s or Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs) — are long-term contracts between governments and private entities to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain facilities or services traditionally provided by the public sector. Often lasting 25-30 years, PPPs are commonly used to deliver infrastructure projects while sharing risks and rewards between both sectors. While the basic structure of PPPs can apply to many projects, key elements differ depending on the type of deal at hand. This article explores elements of PPPs specifically designed to address operations and maintenance of existing roads and highways. It also shares insights and recommendations for optimizing these agreements to boost infrastructure quality and performance. Why brownfield highway projects matter Brownfield projects focus on upgrading or expanding existing roads and highways. These projects are essential to extending the life of aging infrastructure, improving safety, traffic flow and/or user experience. PPPs often play a crucial role in delivering these projects and raising the quality of service for road users. The core goal of O&M activities in brownfield projects is to preserve existing road infrastructure over the long term. A correctly structured O&M PPP agreement transfers day-to-day management, operations and maintenance responsibilities to the private sector with clearly specified

shipping port
Q&A

A view on the future of ports & maritime: A Q&A with Chris Best

Ports are vital infrastructure links in the global logistics chain – facilitating trade and commerce, providing connectivity between people and businesses, supplying our nations with goods and energy resources, and generally underpinning our economies and livelihoods. In this Q&A, Jacobs Global Solutions Director for Ports & Maritime Chris Best talks about trends making a splash in ports & maritime today, what clients are focusing on, and how we’re co-creating the world to come.

Chris Best
tunnel motion blur
Q&A

A view on the future of rail & transit: A Q&A with Gavin Fraser

Public transportation systems, valued as some of the most equitable and sustainable modes of transportation, connect communities and help stimulate economic development. In this Q&A, Jacobs Global Solutions Director for Rail & Transit Gavin Fraser talks about trends keeping rail & transit on track for the future, what clients are focusing on, and how we’re co-creating the world to come.

Gavin Fraser
Australia high speed rail corridor
Thought Leadership

The ABC of Australia’s high-speed rail

High‑speed rail is more than a transport project — it reshapes nations, unlocks new housing and industry, and drives low‑carbon mobility for generations. The question for Australia is no longer whether it needs faster, higher-capacity intercity rail, but whether it can define, design and deliver it with confidence. Jacobs draws on experience from major rail and tunneling programs worldwide to inform the pathway forward. From the approvals that build public confidence, to the complex tunneling that pushes engineering boundaries and disciplined project governance that keeps mega‑programs on track — Jacobs brings global insight and local certainty to every stage of high‑speed rail development. Because when nations move faster, communities thrive. When complexity is greatest, certainty matters most. A for approvals — defining the vision and securing buy-in High-speed rail projects fail when approvals precede clarity High-speed rail programs rarely falter because engineering solutions are unavailable — they struggle when scheme definition is unstable at the point of approval. Governments are often asked to commit substantial resources before objectives, benefits and affordable costs are fully aligned. International experience on major programs shows that when benefits, staging and requirements are not clearly defined upfront, cost pressure and political risk quickly follow. Approvals should build confidence by locking in purpose, pathway and end-state early. Avoid commitment to “headlines” like maximum speed or shortest journey time and focus on economic drivers like capacity, connectivity, housing, employment and regeneration. B for boring — tackling tunneling challenges head-on In constrained corridors, tunnel design determines performance, cost

Port of Miami Tunnel
Thought Leadership

How public and private partnerships deliver real value for clients and communities

By Jacobs’ Director of Commercial Funding and Finance Adam Price In the Red River Valley in central North America, flood risk isn’t an abstract climate statistic — it’s a shared memory and a part of life. When spring snowmelt and heavy rain arrive together, communities worry if emergency calls can be answered, whether hospitals stay accessible and when businesses can reopen. The Fargo-Moorhead Flood Diversion Project exists to answer these questions. It’s a generational investment in protection for a region of roughly 235,000 people, delivered with Jacobs as program manager and public-private partnership (P3) advisor, helping translate public need into a long-term delivery and governance reality. That’s what the best P3s (also known as PPPs or PFI — Private Finance Initiatives — in the U.K.) are really for. Not alternative financing, but certainty, reliability and the right application of experience and talent. A P3 brings private sector expertise and private finance together to deliver public infrastructure, then operates and maintains it to a pre-agreed contractual standard over a long concession, often 25 to 30 years. It’s like a mortgage that includes the upkeep: You don’t pay the full cost upfront, and the monthly payment includes maintaining the asset through its life cycle. The key here is smarter asset management and efficient operations — that's where the greatest value is earned. Across stakeholder roundtables and industry events, the mood is clear: Governments, funders and contractors see P3s as a key tool in stimulating infrastructure delivery globally. Here are five insights I've

Future Foundation Banner
Thought Leadership

Move fast, break nothing: Transforming transport without the chaos

As transportation systems shift toward sustainability, the challenge isn’t just about innovation—it’s about ensuring a smooth transition without disruption. Unlike tech startups that thrive on rapid iteration, transportation networks require precision, long-term planning, and careful risk management. This article explores how data-driven strategies, smart risk mitigation and workforce transformation are shaping a new era of transport—one that’s bold, efficient and built to last.

Patrick King
Q&A

Crossing borders in engineering: Sophie Gatman’s JacobsGo! journey

At Jacobs, we provide meaningful opportunities to support the growth and development of our people – both personally and professionally. One of these opportunities is JacobsGo!, our global secondment program that facilitates inter-regional and international six-month assignments for employees across the company. Civil engineer Sophie Gatman shares her experience in Dallas, Texas.

Birds eye view of a road running through a desert landscape
Thought Leadership

Driving results: How public private partnership agreements improve aging roads

How can governments keep roads safe and traffic flowing over time? This article explores how operations and maintenance provisions in brownfield highway Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) improve infrastructure outcomes and maximize long-term value. Download or continue reading below. Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) — also known as P3s or Private Finance Initiatives (PFIs) — are long-term contracts between governments and private entities to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain facilities or services traditionally provided by the public sector. Often lasting 25-30 years, PPPs are commonly used to deliver infrastructure projects while sharing risks and rewards between both sectors. While the basic structure of PPPs can apply to many projects, key elements differ depending on the type of deal at hand. This article explores elements of PPPs specifically designed to address operations and maintenance of existing roads and highways. It also shares insights and recommendations for optimizing these agreements to boost infrastructure quality and performance. Why brownfield highway projects matter Brownfield projects focus on upgrading or expanding existing roads and highways. These projects are essential to extending the life of aging infrastructure, improving safety, traffic flow and/or user experience. PPPs often play a crucial role in delivering these projects and raising the quality of service for road users. The core goal of O&M activities in brownfield projects is to preserve existing road infrastructure over the long term. A correctly structured O&M PPP agreement transfers day-to-day management, operations and maintenance responsibilities to the private sector with clearly specified performance metrics. This shift allows

A Q&A with Galina Leiphart
Q&A

A view on the future of transportation: A Q&A with Galina Leiphart

Transportation infrastructure is the backbone of society, enabling efficient movement of people and goods, fostering economic growth, and enhancing quality of life by connecting communities and supporting sustainable development. In this Q&A, Jacobs Market Growth Director for Transportation in the U.S. West Central geography, Galina Leiphart, shares her view on the trends impacting today’s transportation infrastructure, what clients are focusing on and how we’re co-creating the world to come.

A Q&A with Bryan Smith
Q&A

A view on the future of aviation: A Q&A with Bryan Smith

Airports are the gateway to one of the fastest modes of commercial transport, helping to carry people and packages to almost anywhere in the world. In this Q&A, Jacobs Aviation Architecture Principal, Bryan Smith, discusses evolving trends in airport terminal design, the priorities of our clients and the challenges we’re tackling.

Bryan M. Smith

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    From developing climate resilience and transitioning to a low-carbon future, to modernizing and transforming infrastructure, governments and businesses face critical challenges. How they respond will define our future.

    As our clients navigate these challenges, we help them think differently – working together to pioneer tomorrow's infrastructure solutions and build the foundations for a prosperous, secure future. 

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