IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v16y2024i11p4713-d1406772.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Sustainable Governance for Promotional Market Competitiveness in Chinese Airports after COVID-19

Author

Listed:
  • Yongrok Choi

    (Department of International Trade, Inha University, Incheon 22221, Republic of Korea)

  • Siyu Li

    (Industrial Security & e-Governance, Inha University, Incheon 22221, Republic of Korea)

  • Wenying Zhao

    (Department of International Trade, Inha University, Incheon 22221, Republic of Korea)

Abstract

Like many countries, China’s airports faced severe operational challenges after the COVID-19 outbreak. However, this predicament has been better mitigated by the Chinese government’s strong support for the aviation industry. However, whether this supportive policy can ensure the sustainable development of the industry needs to be further evaluated. In order to better understand the role of government promotional policies, this paper attempts to explore the driving mechanisms behind the sustainable development performance of Chinese airports. Using the bootstrap Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology, this study evaluates the operational efficiency of 43 major airports over the period from 2015 to 2022. The efficiency scores are compared with the regional distributions of supply and demand factors, as well as the different sizes based on their annual passenger throughput. The overall operational efficiency showed a fluctuating trend of an initial increase followed by a decline due to COVID-19, with significant regional disparities in airport efficiency. Regional differences are evident, with the eastern region having the highest efficiency value of 0.719, while the central region has the lowest efficiency of 0.594. The findings show that airports in the eastern region perform the best due to the proactive market support with rapidly increasing logistics demand, while airports in the west and northeast regions supported by the strong promotional policies follow closely in terms of operational efficiency. In contrast, airports in the central region are much less efficient due to the lack of market or policy support. To analyze more precisely this conflict on the governance, further analyses show that airport size also has a significant impact on the operational efficiency. Larger airports are typically more efficient, while smaller airports are less efficient, implying the market demand is slightly better to promote the airport operational efficiency than the promotional policies. These findings help us to gain a deeper understanding of the mechanism in the sustainable governance behind the operational efficiency of airports and suggest that more market-oriented appropriate policy direction is required to enhance the competitiveness of the aviation industry. These findings offer valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders of the developing countries as well, underlining the necessity not for supply-driven policies, but for the demand–pull efforts to optimize resource allocation and adapt to evolving market dynamics.

Suggested Citation

  • Yongrok Choi & Siyu Li & Wenying Zhao, 2024. "Sustainable Governance for Promotional Market Competitiveness in Chinese Airports after COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-18, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:11:p:4713-:d:1406772
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/11/4713/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/11/4713/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Leopold Simar & Paul Wilson, 2000. "A general methodology for bootstrapping in non-parametric frontier models," Journal of Applied Statistics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(6), pages 779-802.
    2. Léopold Simar & Paul W. Wilson, 1998. "Sensitivity Analysis of Efficiency Scores: How to Bootstrap in Nonparametric Frontier Models," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 44(1), pages 49-61, January.
    3. Gillen, David & Lall, Ashish, 1997. "Developing measures of airport productivity and performance: an application of data envelopment analysis," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 33(4), pages 261-273, December.
    4. Lin, L.C. & Hong, C.H., 2006. "Operational performance evaluation of international major airports: An application of data envelopment analysis," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 12(6), pages 342-351.
    5. Yoshida, Yuichiro & Fujimoto, Hiroyoshi, 2004. "Japanese-airport benchmarking with the DEA and endogenous-weight TFP methods: testing the criticism of overinvestment in Japanese regional airports," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 40(6), pages 533-546, November.
    6. Zhang, Anming, 2003. "Analysis of an international air-cargo hub: the case of Hong Kong," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 123-138.
    7. Soushi Suzuki & Peter Nijkamp & Piet Rietveld, 2011. "Regional efficiency improvement by means of data envelopment analysis through Euclidean distance minimization including fixed input factors: An application to tourist regions in Italy," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 90(1), pages 67-89, March.
    8. Wanke, Peter F., 2013. "Physical infrastructure and flight consolidation efficiency drivers in Brazilian airports: A two-stage network-DEA approach," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 1-5.
    9. Paolo Malighetti & Gianmaria Martini & Stefano Paleari & Renato Redondi, 2007. "An Empirical Investigation on the Efficiency, Capacity and Ownership of Italian Airports," Working Papers 0703, Department of Management, Information and Production Engineering, University of Bergamo.
    10. Adler, Nicole & Berechman, Joseph, 2001. "Measuring airport quality from the airlines' viewpoint: an application of data envelopment analysis," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 171-181, July.
    11. Cinzia Daraio & Léopold Simar, 2005. "Introducing Environmental Variables in Nonparametric Frontier Models: a Probabilistic Approach," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 24(1), pages 93-121, September.
    12. Pels, Eric & Nijkamp, Peter & Rietveld, Piet, 2003. "Inefficiencies and scale economies of European airport operations," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 341-361, September.
    13. Paolo Malighetti & Gianmaria Martini & Stefano Paleari & Renato Redondi, 2007. "An Empirical Investigation on the Efficiency, Capacity Ownership of Italian Airports," Rivista di Politica Economica, SIPI Spa, vol. 97(1), pages 157-188, January-F.
    14. Halpern, Nigel & Graham, Anne, 2015. "Airport route development: A survey of current practice," Tourism Management, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 213-221.
    15. Charnes, A. & Cooper, W. W. & Rhodes, E., 1978. "Measuring the efficiency of decision making units," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 2(6), pages 429-444, November.
    16. Simar, Leopold & Wilson, Paul W., 1999. "Estimating and bootstrapping Malmquist indices," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 115(3), pages 459-471, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gitto, Simone & Mancuso, Paolo, 2012. "Bootstrapping the Malmquist indexes for Italian airports," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 135(1), pages 403-411.
    2. Curi, Claudia & Gitto, Simone & Mancuso, Paolo, 2011. "New evidence on the efficiency of Italian airports: A bootstrapped DEA analysis," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 45(2), pages 84-93, June.
    3. Huynh, Triet Minh & Kim, Gyuseung & Ha, Hun-Koo, 2020. "Comparative analysis of efficiency for major Southeast Asia airports: A two-stage approach," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    4. Kan Tsui, Wai Hong & Balli, Hatice Ozer & Gilbey, Andrew & Gow, Hamish, 2014. "Operational efficiency of Asia–Pacific airports," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 40(C), pages 16-24.
    5. D’Alfonso, Tiziana & Daraio, Cinzia & Nastasi, Alberto, 2015. "Competition and efficiency in the Italian airport system: new insights from a conditional nonparametric frontier analysis," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 20-38.
    6. Jo, Ah-Hyun & Chang, Young-Tae, 2023. "The effect of airport efficiency on air traffic, using DEA and multilateral resistance terms gravity models," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    7. Myung Je Lee & Changhee Kim, 2018. "A network DEA aeronautical and non-aeronautical production model: an application to South Korea airports," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 7(1), pages 1-12, December.
    8. Liu, Dan, 2016. "Measuring aeronautical service efficiency and commercial service efficiency of East Asia airport companies: An application of Network Data Envelopment Analysis," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 52(C), pages 11-22.
    9. Wanke, Peter & Barros, C.P. & Nwaogbe, Obioma R., 2016. "Assessing productive efficiency in Nigerian airports using Fuzzy-DEA," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 9-19.
    10. Gitto, Simone & Mancuso, Paolo, 2010. "Airport efficiency: a DEA two stage analysis of the Italian commercial airports," MPRA Paper 34366, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 10 Oct 2010.
    11. Gitto, Simone & Mancuso, Paolo, 2009. "Productivity change in Italian airports," MPRA Paper 34367, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    12. Fabio Carlucci & Andrea Cirà & Paolo Coccorese, 2018. "Measuring and Explaining Airport Efficiency and Sustainability: Evidence from Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(2), pages 1-17, February.
    13. Tsui, Wai Hong Kan & Gilbey, Andrew & Balli, Hatice Ozer, 2014. "Estimating airport efficiency of New Zealand airports," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 78-86.
    14. Fernández, Xose Luis & Gundelfinger, Javier & Coto-Millán, Pablo, 2022. "The impact of logistics and intermodality on airport efficiency," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 233-239.
    15. Malighetti, G & Martini, G & Paleari, S & Redondi, R, 2009. "The Impacts of Airport Centrality in the EU Network and Inter- Airport Competition on Airport Efficiency," MPRA Paper 17673, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    16. Voltes-Dorta, Augusto & Pagliari, Romano, 2012. "The impact of recession on airports' cost efficiency," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 211-222.
    17. Güner, Samet & İbrahim Cebeci, Halil, 2021. "Multi-period efficiency analysis of major European and Asian airports under fixed proportion technologies," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 24-42.
    18. Liu, Dan, 2017. "Evaluating the multi-period efficiency of East Asia airport companies," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 71-82.
    19. Cavaignac, Laurent & Petiot, Romain, 2017. "A quarter century of Data Envelopment Analysis applied to the transport sector: A bibliometric analysis," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 84-96.
    20. George E. Halkos & Nickolaos G. Tzeremes, 2015. "Measuring Seaports' Productivity: A Malmquist Productivity Index Decomposition Approach," Journal of Transport Economics and Policy, University of Bath, vol. 49(2), pages 355-376, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:11:p:4713-:d:1406772. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.