This groundbreaking book offers a critical and wide-ranging assessment of the global air transport liberalization process over the past 40 years. This compilation of world experts on air transport economics, policy, and regulation is timely and significant, considering that air transport is currently facing a series of new challenges due to technological changes, the emergence of new markets, and increased security concerns.

The last few decades have witnessed substantial liberalization trends in various industries and countries. Starting with the deregulation of the US airline industry in 1978, regulatory restructuring took place in further network industries such as telecommunications, electricity or railways in various countries around the world. Although most of the liberalization movements were initially triggered by the worrying performances of the respective regulatory frameworks, increases in competition and corresponding improvements in allocative and productive efficiency were typically associated with the respective liberalization efforts. From an academic perspective, the transition from regulated industries to liberalized industries has attracted a substantial amount of research reflected in many books and research articles which can be distilled to three main questions: (1) What are the forces that have given rise to regulatory reform? (2) What is the structure of the regulatory change which has occurred to date and is likely to occur in the immediate future? (3) What have been the effects on industry efficiency, prices and profits of the reforms which have occurred to date? Liberalization in Aviation brings together renowned academics and practitioners from around the world to address all three questions and draw policy conclusions. The book is divided into five sections, in turn dealing with aspects of competition in various liberalized markets, the emergence and growth of low-cost carriers, horizontal mergers and alliances, infrastructures, and concluding with economic assessments of liberalization steps so far and proposed steps in the future.

This title was first published in 2001. By giving long over-due detailed consideration to airline deregulation in countries other than the US, Dipendra Sinha makes a unique contribution to the literature on airline deregulation and transport economics.

This title was first published in 2001. This is a study of liberalization in the aviation industry, especially bilateral agreements. It looks at intra-country impacts of air service agreements, and quantifies the impact on the northern German region. The authors assess the potential impact of air transport liberalization for the German economy and travelers and how its outcomes would impact Hamburg Airport and the Hamburg economy. The study focuses on: a comprehensive review of institutional and regulatory environment affecting international air travel; the economic implications of changing the rules governing international travel; and the policy and airport strategy considerations that arise because of these changes.

Taking Stock of Air Liberalization is about Technology, Economy, and Policy (TEP) in the airline industry. Ten years ago, the practical collaboration was begun of bringing together people who belonged to the complementary streams of economic analysis and policy analysis presented int his book. During this time, we opened discussions on the relationship between transportation technology, transportation economics and transportation policy under the general auspices of the Canadian Royal Commission on National Passenger Transportation. Working over a 40-month period (1989-1992), this Commission took stock of transportation and produced an up-to-date `État de la question' and policy framework (Hyndman, et al, 1992). Clearly, the project committee's discussions on air policy, over the period 1995-1997 (see Chapter 8), outlined the possibilities for a mechanism to understand the differences about the desirability of air liberalisation, as well as the possible TEP interactions in this area. This led to an exploratory first formulation and computer programme (HLB, 1997) incorporating the approach outlined in Chapter 15. A joint celebration of the CRT's 25th birthday and Transport Canada's 60th birthday seemed appropriate to bring together the various streams. Part I of Taking Stock of Air Liberalization looks at the record, and Part II focuses on specific impacts of policies. Policy formulation (Part III) and the required tools (Part IV - Modelling Demand) are also discussed in this context. The book ends with perspectives in Part V - The Future Market Structure and Public Policy. The competition among airlines is rapidly spreading to the competition among airports, and the difficult regulation of these strategic spatial monopolies (which is introduced in Chapter 13) is now attracting research activity. The next discussion in the airline industry will be the role of airports.

Harmonising Regulatory and Antitrust Regimes for International Air Transport addresses the timely and problematic issue of lack of uniformity in legal standards for international civil aviation. The book focuses on discrepancies within the regulatory and antitrust framework, comprehensively reveals the major legal limitations and conflicts, and presents possible solutions thereto. It discusses possible strategies for multilateralisation and defragmentation of air law, and for international harmonisation of airline economic regulation with fair competition standards. This discussion extends to competition between air transport law and other legal regimes as well as to specific regulatory problems related to air transport. The unique feature of the book is that it reconciles distinct perspectives on these issues presented by renowned aviation and aerospace experts who represent the world’s key air transport markets and air law academic centres. By providing unbiased solutions that could serve as a base for future international arrangements, this book will be invaluable for aviation professionals, as well as students and scholars with an interest in air law, economic regulation, antitrust studies, international relations, transportation policy and airline management.

The debate on the future of the aviation sector and the viability of its traditional business practices is the core of this book. The liberalization of the EU market in the 1990s has radically modi?ed the competitive environment and the nature of airline competition. Furthermore, the new millennium began with terrorist attacks, epidemics, trade globalization, and the rise of oil prices, all of which combined to push the industry into a “perfect storm”. Airline industry pro?tability has been an elusive goal for several decades and the recent events has only accentuated existing weaknesses. The main concern of ind- try observers is whether the airline business model, successful during the 1980s and 1990s, is now sustainable in a market crowded by low-cost carriers. The airlines that will respond rapidly and determinedly to increase pressure to restructure, conso- date and segment the industry will achieve competitive advantages. In this context, the present study aims to model the new conduct of the ‘legacy’ carriers in a new liberalized European market in terms of network and pricing competition with l- cost carriers and competitive reaction to the global economic crises.