XNA AIR SERVICE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DATA SOLUTIONS

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS NATIONAL AIRPORT
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS
AIR SERVICE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES/DATA SOLUTIONS
SEPTEMBER 15, 2026

SECTION 1:
NOTICE OF OPPORTUNITY AND GENERAL PROJECT INFORMATION
A. NOTICE AND DESCRIPTION.
The Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport Authority, the "Authority," gives notice of this request for
proposals, together with any addenda and answers to questions, the "RFP," from qualified firms to
provide air service development services, data, technology, and analytical solutions for Northwest
Arkansas National Airport, the "Airport" or "XNA."
The Authority seeks one or more qualified proposers with demonstrated experience in commercial air
service development, airline recruitment and retention, airline network planning, airport market analysis,
passenger demand forecasting, load factor and route performance analysis, airline business case
development, incentive program evaluation, stakeholder engagement, and the practical use of data-
driven and technology-enabled tools to support air service strategy.
The selected proposer or proposers will provide services or solutions to assist the Authority in developing
and implementing strategies to retain existing air service, attract new routes and frequencies, improve
airline relationships, support route performance, strengthen regional connectivity, and position XNA for
continued growth.
The Authority is also interested in the responsible use of artificial intelligence, machine learning,
predictive analytics, automated dashboards, and related technology tools that may improve the quality,
speed, and usefulness of air service development analysis. The use of any such tools must be
transparent, secure, professionally reviewed, and consistent with the confidentiality requirements of the
Authority.
It is the Authority's intent to select one or more proposers whose proposals meet or exceed the criteria
set forth in this RFP and thereafter to negotiate one or more agreements, each an "Agreement," with the
selected proposer or proposers. The Authority may enter into separate Agreements with different
selected proposers and may award different portions of the requested services or solutions to different
proposers.
B. TIMELINE AND SCHEDULE OF EVENTS.
The anticipated timeline and schedule of events for the proposal process is as follows, with all times in
the Central time zone:
EVENT TIMELINE
Issue RFP September 15, 2026
Deadline for submitting questions October 2, 2026 by 4:00 p.m.
XNA issues responses to questions October 9, 2026
SUBMISSIONS DUE November 13, 2026 at 4:00 p.m.
Initial staff evaluation November 16-25, 2026
Interviews or demonstrations if needed December 1-4, 2026
Present to Board of Directors December 15, 2026
At the Authority's discretion following evaluation
Award(s)
and required approvals
2

NOTE: The above timeline and schedule of events is subject to modification without notice
at the Authority's sole discretion.
C. LOCATION OF PROCUREMENT DOCUMENTS.
This RFP and all other documents related to this procurement will be maintained online at
www.flyxna.com/public-notices-procurements. Any amendments, addenda, questions and answers, and
other documents pertaining to this procurement will be posted at this site as they are released.
It is the responsibility of each proposer to visit this site frequently to ensure the delivery of up-to-date
information and documentation regarding this procurement.
D. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS.
Proposers must be incorporated or organized under the laws of one state in the United States and must
be authorized to do business in the State of Arkansas at the time of agreement execution, if required by
applicable law.
E. EVALUATION.
The Authority will evaluate proposals based on the criteria set forth herein. In general, the Authority will
only evaluate proposals submitted by proposers who meet the minimum requirements and qualifications
set forth in this RFP. Provided, however, the Authority reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, to
waive irregularities and technicalities of any kind, to re-advertise, or otherwise to proceed in the best
interests of the Authority.
The Authority reserves the right to select one or more proposers, make multiple awards, award all or any
portion of the requested services or solutions, and issue awards at any time following the proposal
submission deadline. Awards may be made separately and at different times, and the Authority is not
obligated to make an award to any proposer.
F. QUESTIONS, INQUIRIES AND AIRPORT CONTACT.
The Authority is committed to providing all interested parties with accurate and consistent information. To
this end, from the date of this RFP through the selection of the selected proposer or proposers, the
Authority's contact is:
Olivia Tyler
Business Development & Public Affairs Manager
Olivia.tyler@flyxna.com
All submissions required by this RFP shall adhere to the Timeline and Schedule of Events set out in
Section 1 of this RFP.
Oral communications and emails from the Authority, its staff, agents, employees, outside advisors, or any
other person associated with this RFP shall not be binding on the Authority and shall in no way modify
any provision of this RFP. Only formally issued addenda and the Authority's published responses to
proposers' questions shall establish or modify the terms of this RFP.
G. PUBLICATION OF NOTICE.
This RFP, or a summary thereof, may be separately published, posted, or delivered to any of the entities
listed below. Updates will not be provided to these entities, and the official repository of all RFP
documents will be as set forth in Paragraph C of this Section 1.
1. Airport industry publications;
2. Aviation professional service providers;
3. Air service development firms;
3

4. Aviation data and analytics firms;
5. Any entity that has previously expressed interest in providing air service development services to the
Authority; and
6. Any entity the Authority has identified as a potential proposer.
SECTION 2:
AIRPORT AND REGIONAL INFORMATION
A. AIRPORT INFORMATION.
The Airport, which opened for commercial service on November 1, 1998, is the busiest commercial
service airport in the State of Arkansas. In 2024, XNA reported 1,144,820 total enplanements. In 2025,
XNA reported 1,263,634 total enplanements, setting an annual record. Through May 2026, XNA reported
501,230 total enplanements and 998,926 total passengers.
Historically, XNA's customer base has been predominately made up of business travelers in support of
Walmart, Tyson, J.B. Hunt, the University of Arkansas, and other companies in the Northwest Arkansas
area. The COVID-19 pandemic ushered in a surge of leisure travelers, and the airlines have responded
by adding new service and routes.
Currently, XNA is served by six airlines - Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Breeze Airways, Delta Air
Lines, Frontier Airlines, and United Airlines - and averages approximately 50 flights per day to 28
destinations across the country. Those destinations include Atlanta (ATL), Charlotte (CLT), Chicago
O'Hare (ORD), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Denver (DEN), Destin-Ft. Walton Beach (VPS), Detroit (DTW),
Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Gulf Shores/Orange Beach (GUF), Houston/Bush Intercontinental (IAH), Las
Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), Minneapolis (MSP), Nashville (BNA), New Orleans
(MSY), New York City (LGA), Orlando International (MCO), Orlando/Sanford (SFB), Pensacola (PNS),
Philadelphia (PHL), Phoenix/Mesa Gateway (AZA), Phoenix/Sky Harbor (PHX), Salt Lake City (SLC),
Tampa International (TPA), Tampa/St. Pete-Clearwater (PIE), and Washington, D.C. (DCA).
B. REGIONAL INFORMATION.
Northwest Arkansas is a fast-growing metropolitan area that is home to more than 605,000 people. In
addition to being home to the University of Arkansas, Northwest Arkansas is the corporate headquarters
of three Fortune 500 companies: Walmart, Tyson Foods, and J.B. Hunt Transport Services. Hundreds of
Walmart supplier offices have been established in the region, meaning thousands of employees for
companies such as Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, General Mills, Kraft Heinz, Coca-Cola,
Mondelez International, Johnson & Johnson, Nestle USA, and other companies rely on XNA to conduct
business worldwide.
Leisure travelers use XNA to access the region's increasing number of quality-of-life amenities. Crystal
Bridges Museum of American Art, The Momentary, the Walmart AMP outdoor concert venue, and the
region's recognition as the mountain bike capital of the world are among dozens of reasons Northwest
Arkansas is an attractive place to visit.
4

SECTION 3:
PROJECT INFORMATION
A. PROJECT DESCRIPTION.
The Authority seeks to obtain air service development services, data solutions, technology tools, or any
combination thereof to support commercial air service at XNA. The Authority may select one or more
proposers to provide all or any portion of the services and solutions described in this RFP and may obtain
different services or solutions from different proposers.
The requested services and solutions may include strategic and analytical support; evaluation of market
conditions; identification of route development and airline recruitment opportunities; airline meeting
support; development of business cases, presentations, and reports; monitoring of passenger demand,
load factors, capacity, schedules, fares, and route performance; access to aviation data, dashboards,
predictive analytics, or other technology-enabled tools; and guidance related to air service strategy.
The Authority seeks practical, data-driven, and airline-informed services and solutions that account for
XNA's market profile, regional growth, passenger demand, airline industry trends, airport facilities, route
performance, airline profitability considerations, and the competitive airport environment. The selected
services and solutions should support the Authority's efforts to retain existing air service, attract new
routes and frequencies, strengthen airline relationships, improve route performance, enhance regional
connectivity, and position XNA for continued growth
.B. SCOPE OF SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS.
The Authority may select one or more proposers to provide some or all of the following services or
solutions. Proposers should identify the areas included in their proposals. The final scope of each
Agreement will be negotiated with the applicable selected proposer.
1. Air Service Development Strategy
2. Market and Passenger Demand Analysis
3. Load Factor, Capacity, and Route Performance Analysis
4. Airline Business Case Development
5. Airline Outreach and Meeting Support
6. Air Service Retention and Expansion
7. Incentive Program and Funding Support
8. Stakeholder and Community Engagement
9. Data, Analytics, and Technology Solutions
10. Reporting and Advisory Services
11. Other Related Services or Solutions
C. TERM OF AGREEMENT.
The initial term of the Agreement is expected to be one year, with options for renewal by mutual
agreement of the Authority and the applicable selected proposer. The final term, scope, fee structure,
and renewal options will be negotiated with each selected proposer.
5

The Authority may elect to award a contract for a fixed scope of work, an annual retainer, hourly services
on an as-needed basis, task-order services, or a combination thereof.
D. MISCELLANEOUS REQUIREMENTS.
In addition to other requirements and terms described elsewhere in this RFP, and in addition to other
negotiated terms in the Agreement, the following will apply:
1. Confidentiality.
Each selected proposer may have access to confidential airport, airline, financial, market, strategic,
proprietary, or other non-public information. The selected proposer(s) shall maintain the confidentiality of
all non-public information and shall not disclose such information without written authorization from the
Authority.
2. Data Security.
The selected proposer(s) shall implement reasonable safeguards to protect all Authority data, airline
data, passenger data, market data, and other confidential information. Any AI-enabled tool, third-party
technology platform, dashboard, data warehouse, or analytics system used by the proposer(s) must
comply with applicable confidentiality, data security, and ownership requirements established by the
Authority.
3. Artificial Intelligence Restrictions.
Each selected proposer shall not use confidential information provided by the Authority to train artificial
intelligence models, large language models, predictive systems, or other automated systems unless
expressly authorized in writing by the Authority.
Each selected proposer shall not input confidential Authority information, airline-sensitive information, or
non-public market information into public artificial intelligence systems unless expressly authorized in
writing by the Authority.
4. Conflicts of Interest.
Proposers must disclose all current and recent engagements with airlines, competing airports,
government entities, or other organizations that may present an actual or potential conflict of interest. The
Authority reserves the right to determine whether any disclosed relationship creates a conflict that may
affect the proposer's eligibility.
5. Insurance and Indemnification.
The successful proposer will be required to meet or exceed the Authority's minimum insurance
requirements, which may include, without limitation:
a. Commercial general liability insurance;
b. Professional liability/errors and omissions insurance;
c. Business automobile liability insurance, if applicable;
d. Workers compensation and employer's liability insurance; and
e. Cyber liability insurance, if applicable.
Proposers should be aware that the Authority is a public corporation and enjoys statutory immunity under
Arkansas law. Thus, while the proposer will be required to indemnify and hold the Authority harmless as
to damages or claims arising out of the proposer's services, the Authority cannot and will not agree to
indemnify the successful proposer.
6

6. Ownership of Work Product.
Unless otherwise negotiated in the Agreement, all reports, presentations, data summaries, memoranda,
business cases, analyses, dashboards, graphics, and other work product prepared specifically for the
Authority shall become the property of the Authority, subject to any restrictions applicable to third-party
data subscriptions, proprietary data sources, or licensed software tools.
7. Data Sources.
Proposers should identify any data sources they anticipate using to perform the services described in this
RFP. Proposers should clearly state whether the cost of such data sources is included in the proposed
fee or will be separately billed to the Authority.
G. EVALUATION AND CRITERIA.
Proposals received in response to this RFP will be evaluated by Authority staff based on the extent to
which each proposal meets the needs and objectives of the Authority's air service development efforts.
The Authority may consider the information submitted by proposers, references, interviews,
presentations, demonstrations, and any other relevant information or criteria it deems appropriate. The
Authority reserves the right to select one or more proposers, make multiple awards, award all or any
portion of the requested services or solutions, and issue awards at any time following the proposal
submission deadline. Awards may be made separately and at different times, and the Authority is not
obligated to make an award to any proposer.
SECTION 4:
PROPOSAL CONTENT AND INSTRUCTIONS
Proposals shall be divided into the following five sections:
1. Technical Approach and Work Plan;
2. Air Service Development Experience;
3. Project Team and Staffing Plan if applicable;
4. Artificial Intelligence, Technology, and Data Security Plan; and
5. Business and Fee Proposal.
Proposals shall be no more than 15 pages in length.
7