Business models and operational efficiency: a non-parametric analysis of Italian airports

The air transport industry has an important weight in the European economy, playing an important role in the social and economic development of a country, both at the regional and national level (Aschauer 1989; Mukkala and Tervo 2013). Over the last 40 years the structure of the industry has been re-shaped in depth, often changing faster than actors may adapt, challenging the traditional business models (Rubin and Joy 2005). Airports are an important component of the air transport industry. Evolving rules and requirements relative to environment, security and safety issued by international and national aviation regulatory agencies, national and local governments, and the evolution from a point-to-point to a hub-and-spoke traveling model, are all factors that put airport operators under pressure (Cento 2009). This paper investigates if the efficiencies of Italian commercial airports are affected by the particular business model adopted by their operators. The assumption is that different business models introduce heterogeneities that influence the capability of airports to efficiently use resources to perform aviation operations.