Aviation is deemed to be one of the most dynamic industries in the world and airport planning requires intensive study and fore thought. The most efficient plan for an airport has to take into account many variables and still there are adjacent areas that are not considered yet but increasingly regarded as catalysts for local economic development. Integrated economic development linked to airports poses a major challenge. Ambition to achieve this calls for the functional division of tasks and scope of responsibility between cities and settlements in the vicinity of airports, and also the strengthened cooperation between various stakeholders, such as municipalities, development agencies and private companies.Within the AIRLED project the partners, representing public bodies, join their forces to work out a strategic framework along the vision of becoming an “Airport City” that is suitable to its needs and also boosts development in other territories. Working out the complex approach to the local development of airport surrounding areas various stakeholders will be involved. Achievements: In response to the socio-economic impacts of globalisation and the rapidly changing economic environment, a partnership of four regions (Budapest, Mazovia, Gorenjska, Emilia Romagna) joined forces in elaborating long-term development concepts of airport areas, which are increasingly being viewed as potential catalysts for local economic development. The regions involved face similar challenges and share the view that airport areas are an opportunity to increase competitiveness and territorial cohesion in CENTRAL Europe. AirLED - Local economic development in airport catchment areas is a transnational project lead by Budapest District 18 with the goal of finding competitive, attractive and sustainable solutions for maximizing the economic potentials of airport areas in CENTRAL Europe. More specifically, the project aims at enhancing integrated polycentric development planning along the vision of creating ‘airport cities’. In order to reach this long-term goal, strong foundations have been built since project start in July 2012 through the elaboration of status quo analyses in each project region. Together with the EU state-of-art report and the initial set of joint criteria for ‘airport cities’, the status quo analyses serve the purpose of setting the scene for the strategy building process. This exercise is facilitated by a common template for the elaboration of integrated regional polycentric development plans and an economic analysis of 10 Polish regional airports as a case study. The two knowledge partners, IRM (Institute of Urban Development, PL) and KTI (Institute for Transport Sciences, HU) are playing a major role in this process. Strategy building of airLED partners is being implemented via an intensive process of Open Living Labs with the participation of local, regional and national stakeholders. These are engaged via Regional Development Coordination Bodies (RDCB) meeting regularly in each partner region to exchange information and receive important inputs and feedback to thematic project work. airLED partners are focussing their long-term strategies on 3 thematic pillars: (1) Logistics and transport; (2) Spatial development, environment and architecture and (3) Business and investment development. Related to these, some strategic aspects of ‘airport city’ development will be tested in partner regions via a statistical and decision-making support model, a tool for territorial marketing (imagineering) and the operation of One-Stop-Shops for investors, industry and business actors. During the first phase of implementation, initial steps have been taken to prepare for these pilot actions. This includes the preparation of a Handbook on ‘How to attract investors to airport regions’. Up-to-date information on project progress (including project and partner level meetings and events) and produced outputs can be accessed on the website www.airled.eu, besides e-newsletters and other PR material disseminated.