As passenger numbers pick up slowly after prolonged crisis, airports are anticipating a return to the stable growth of the past. However, reality is likely to be different.

The gap between the world's top stock market performers and the 'also-rans' is widening, according to a BCG study of value creation in more than 4,000 listed companies between 1995 and 1999. However, less than half of the average annual Total Shareholder Returns (TSR) for the leading 100...