Department Air Transport Economics
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The Air Transport Economics Department of the Institute of Air Transport investigates and consults on economic issues along the entire value chain of the air transport sector and along its interface with other modes of transport.
What are we working on?
Mobility is and remains a fundamental basis of our lives, but it is subject to constant change. On the one hand, the "Air Transport Economics" team researches the importance of air transport in economic terms, for example with regard to employment, competition and connectivity effects. On the other hand, research is being conducted into how the institutional and legal framework conditions for air transport as an important part of an overall traffic system must be designed in order to achieve environmental and socio-political goals. In cooperation projects and networks with DLR's "transport institutes", our research scope also extends to ground transport modes.
In this context, our economists scrutinize the requirements for stakeholders in (air) transport that are necessary for successful adaptation to future change. These adaptation processes can be successfully initiated and shaped by political measures. Conversely, policy reforms can unintentionally cause undesirable effects. The "Air Transport Economics" team evaluates policy options from an economic perspective, helping policymakers and industry stakeholders to take socially meaningful action.
The close interdisciplinary relationship of economics, engineering and natural sciences at DLR enables the department "Aviation Economics" to assess economic issues holistically and thus offer research and consulting from a single source. In this context, the potential of necessary environmental policy fields is identified on the basis of current scientific findings, the feasibility of implementation is analyzed on the basis of engineering and economic expertise, and options for action are developed. By economic research the variety of technological options is increased at DLR, since the economic viability of an innovation is the decisive factor for its commercial success.
The basis of our work is a solid scientific theoretical foundation that is predominantly application-oriented. We work conceptually and theoretically-normatively as well as with statistical evaluation methods and behavior-based simulation models. For this purpose, we are in a constant national and international exchange between science and practice.
Our research and consulting activities focus on the following key aspects:
- We evaluate and advise on the development of environmental, economic and social policy regulations in air transport and the transport sector as a whole.
- We analyse the economic context in aviation and other modes of transportation, such as employment impacts, competition, and connectivity effects.
- We enable empirical evidence on the effectiveness of (air) transport policy measures.