The concept of liberalization in air transportation and econometric analysis of air cargo demand: The case of Türkiye

It is important to analyze air transportation demand in order for stakeholders such as airline companies, airports, ground service companies, navigation system providers and agencies operating in the aviation industry to manage their investments correctly, to increase the efficiency of the air transportation system and to create policies by states. In order for airline companies and other stakeholders engaged in air cargo transportation to plan their activities, make investment decisions and compete globally, the factors affecting air cargo demand in Turkey must be determined. In this context, a literature review was conducted and it was seen that there were a limited number of studies on the factors affecting air cargo demand in Turkey. In addition, no study has been found that examines the amount of outgoing and incoming air cargo between Turkey and other countries and determines the effect of the liberalization of bilateral air service agreements on air cargo demand. In this context, the study examined the effects of the liberalization levels of bilateral air service agreements and other variables determined as a result of literature review on the amount of outgoing and incoming air cargo between Turkey and 15 countries selected as a sample between 2013 and 2022. The findings obtained in the study show that the liberalization levels of bilateral agreements, the amount of imports from the relevant countries to Turkey and the distance have a positive effect on the amount of outgoing and incoming air cargo, while the change in jet fuel price has a negative effect, while the number of flights has a positive effect only on the amount of air cargo from Turkey to the relevant countries.