The liberalization of air transport and a research on the effects of bilateral air transport agreements on airports in Turkey

This study examines the effects of the economic regulations in bilateral air transport agreements (BATAs) signed by Turkey on airports. The BATAs determine the degree of liberal or restrictive conditions regarding market access and entry, capacity, and tariff determination for airlines operating between two countries. It is believed that this degree of liberalization affects the operational and managerial aspects of the designated flight points in the BATAs. The conceptual framework of the study is established by analyzing the emergence and evolution of liberalization processes worldwide, including Turkey, and emphasizing the airports' position in this process. In the analysis section, the compiled BATAs' economic regulations are examined individually, and content analysis is conducted using a theme-category-code hierarchy. Thus, a connection is established between economic regulations and airport processes. Through this connection, the association relations between economic regulation variables are defined with the apriori algorithm. The literature was then used to interpret the findings of the two analyses, and the effects of economic regulations on airports were revealed. As a result of the study, it has been determined that Turkey's balance policy is adhered to in the BAT agreements, that the regulations are determined more restrictive in terms of capacity, that the agreements with Asian countries are more restrictive compared to those with African countries, that the most liberal agreement is with Brazil, and that each country is handled individually while the regulations are being drafted. This indicates that Turkish airports will not be in a competitive position, as their air transport market is highly regulated.