Structural efficiency assessment of regional airports: Lessons from India

This study focuses on the structural efficiency of 42 Indian regional airports over five years from 2014 to 2019. A two-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) was applied to assess the structural efficiencies of airports. We find that distance to the closest airport, distance from the city centre, per capita income, accessibility and profitability of the airport significantly impact the structural efficiency scores. We also calculate the productivity growth of the sample airports over five years using the Malmquist Productivity Index. Airport productivity rankings and sources of inefficiency provide airport authorities and policymakers with valuable insights into the potential for improvement.