Single-till versus dual-till regulation of airports : where do academics and regulators (dis)agree?

Abstract

Most airports operate under public ownership, while the number of private and economically regulated airports is increasing. Furthermore, airports nowadays earn as much revenue from nonaeronautical business activities as from aeronautical activities. These observations lead to a natural question: whether and how to optimally integrate profits derived from commercial activities into the regulation of aeronautical charges? This paper's approach to this question is to compare literature results on the benefits of regulatory regimes with actual regulatory practice in Ireland and the UK, and to identify avenues for future research that could be useful to support and improve future regulatory decisions.