{"title":"Determinants of air cargo traffic in Europe: Intercontinental flights, competition and airlines’ business model","authors":"Xavier Fageda , Marta Gonzalez-Aregall","doi":"10.1016/j.tranpol.2025.103812","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this paper, we examine the determinants of air cargo traffic in European airports from 2002 to 2019 by estimating a two-way fixed effects model. We focus on the correlation between air cargo and key attributes of passenger services at airports, including the number of non-stop intercontinental destinations, the share of network airlines, and the intensity of competition. We consider different samples with a special attention to mid-sized airports located in relatively big cities. We find that the availability of direct flights to North America, East Asia, and the Middle East has a positive impact on air cargo. A higher percentage of flights offered by network airlines leads to more air cargo as well. However, we also find that competition stimulates air cargo, meaning that medium-sized airports can benefit from a greater presence of non-European network airlines.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48378,"journal":{"name":"Transport Policy","volume":"173 ","pages":"Article 103812"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3000,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Transport Policy","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X25003555","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"ECONOMICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
In this paper, we examine the determinants of air cargo traffic in European airports from 2002 to 2019 by estimating a two-way fixed effects model. We focus on the correlation between air cargo and key attributes of passenger services at airports, including the number of non-stop intercontinental destinations, the share of network airlines, and the intensity of competition. We consider different samples with a special attention to mid-sized airports located in relatively big cities. We find that the availability of direct flights to North America, East Asia, and the Middle East has a positive impact on air cargo. A higher percentage of flights offered by network airlines leads to more air cargo as well. However, we also find that competition stimulates air cargo, meaning that medium-sized airports can benefit from a greater presence of non-European network airlines.
期刊介绍:
Transport Policy is an international journal aimed at bridging the gap between theory and practice in transport. Its subject areas reflect the concerns of policymakers in government, industry, voluntary organisations and the public at large, providing independent, original and rigorous analysis to understand how policy decisions have been taken, monitor their effects, and suggest how they may be improved. The journal treats the transport sector comprehensively, and in the context of other sectors including energy, housing, industry and planning. All modes are covered: land, sea and air; road and rail; public and private; motorised and non-motorised; passenger and freight.