Air transport liberalization and airport slot allocation: The case of the Northeast Asian transport market

• A differentiated Bertrand high speed rail and airline network game is developed.
• We analyze airline liberalization, intermodal competition & airport slot allocation.
• A case study of Northeast Asia highlights social welfare benefits of opening skies.
• However, benefits between countries are uneven, limiting likely implementation.
• Liberalization & matching slot allocation policies maximize benefits to society.

We develop a differentiated Bertrand high speed rail and airline network game which analyzes the effects of international air transport liberalization, regional open skies policies, domestic inter-modal competition and airport slot allocation. The model is applied to the transport market in Northeast Asia using a counter-factual approach, demonstrating the model’s capability of evaluating practical policies utilizing market data observed on the routes under investigation. Our modeling results suggest that air transport liberalization will benefit both consumers and the aviation industry in the region albeit not necessarily on an equal basis across or within groups. Much of the welfare gains are derived from higher frequency after liberalization, which increases service quality, hence consumer utility. Open skies policies that include pure cabotage which permit carriers to compete in the domestic markets of a foreign country, will increase competition, frequency and reduce fares below current levels. Airport slot allocation policies play an important role in the realization and distribution of potential welfare gains related to liberalization. Therefore, government agencies should implement liberalization and airport slot allocation policies jointly.