Klaipėdos universitetas

This article examines how Lean principles can be integrated into public-private partnership (PPP) projects to promote effective reconstruction and sustainable infrastructure development in postwar Ukraine. Driven by the urgent need to rebuild, Ukraine faces the challenge of not only rehabilitating its infrastructure assets, but also ensuring compliance with European Union standards and global sustainable development goals. The study explores the theoretical underpinnings of Lean manufacturing and its applicability to infrastructure PPP projects. A mixed method approach, including document and literature review, case studies, expert opinion and SWOT analysis, was used to identify opportunities for improving project implementation and resource allocation. The results show that the Lean concept can save costs, promote multi-stakeholder collaboration, and optimise procedures at each stage of the PPP infrastructure project lifecycle. Overcoming regulatory hurdles, attracting private investment and reducing political and economic uncertainty, are necessary ingredients for the successful implementation of Lean-based infrastructure PPP projects.

Regional airports play a significant role inpromotion of connectivity and regional development. This is one of reasons whyairports are treated as public assets and in 77 % cases (airportsproviding scheduled air transport services) owned and operated by public sectorin the EU. 71 % of these publicairports have corporatized airport operators. Latviahas threepublic civil aviation airports planned for scheduled flights until 2015: Riga InternationalAirport as well as Liepaja Airportand Ventspils Airport (Kurzeme planning region). Latviacurrently has decentralised operational model of airports. Riga InternationalAirport is owned by state and operatedby a joint stock company.Regional airports are owned by Liepaja and Ventspils municipalities andoperated by 100 % municipality owned limited liability companies. Liepaja Airport and Ventspils Airport plan to certify itsaerodromes and start scheduled flights in 2015. The long term traffic forecastof both airports is short to provide a long term financial sustainability.Regional airports are reliant on public service obligation compensations foroperation and maintenance of airfields as well as diminishing compensations toairlines for operating of scheduled flights. Considering the aerodrome’scertification and financial feasibility risks, alternative operational modelsare worth considering. They include centralised model (joint operation of allthree airports by a state owned company) and semi-centralised model (jointmanagement of regional airports by resource sharing). The main conclusion is that current decentralisedoperational model is not feasible to provide long term operationalsustainability of regional airports and it is worth considering introduction ofalternative operational models (preferably centralised model) subject tofurther analysis.