Tourism indicators and airports' technical efficiency

The Spanish airports are managed centrally by a government-owned company (AENA). The public investments made in the latest years, airports managers' inability to decide commercial policies and the lack of competition end with more than one under-used airport within an amenity distance. Airports' managerial decisions require considering regional needs. In the first stage, a stochastic frontier analysis is used to estimate airports' technical inefficiency with the inclusion of fixed effects. Tourism indicators related to the location of airports are used in a second stage regression. The results show that airports' geographical location affects efficiency in touristic areas. The type of accommodation becomes a driver of airports' efficiency with positive and negative impact. In non-touristic areas, touristic factors are not relevant.