Drivers of long haul flight supply at secondary airports in Europe

Intercontinental air traffic is unevenly distributed between secondary European airports. While a few airports offer a remarkable number of long haul services, most non-hubs struggle to attract such flights. We discuss and test factors influencing secondary airport choice of long haul carriers. Results indicate that the economic power of the airport region has a significantly positive influence on long haul flight supply, while a sufficient runway length is only a condition sine qua non. Consequently, long runways at many secondary airports are underutilized and thus not economically viable.