1st Edition

Air Transport Provision in Remoter Regions

Edited By George Williams, Svein Bråthen Copyright 2010

    This book stems from a series of biennial conferences devoted to issues affecting air-transport provision in remoter regions that have been organized by the Centre for Air Transport in Remoter Regions at Cranfield University. The primary aim of the conferences has been to provide an opportunity for those responsible for operating, managing, regulating and financing air transport services and associated infrastructure in these areas to be informed of the latest best-practice initiatives, to contrast different policy approaches and to debate potential solutions to perennial problems. Remoter regions has been a neglected area of air transport, as much of the focus of public and media attention is on the larger airlines, airports and aircraft. While the number of large airports in the world is in the hundreds, there are many thousands of smaller airports providing communities all over the globe with vital air links. More often than not these services and the airports to which they are operated are loss making and require subsidies to sustain them. There are therefore many more interested parties involved in both providing and deciding issues relating to the provision of air transport in these situations, most especially central, regional and local governments who are charged with financing these activities. The book contains 17 chapters from experts in remote-region air transport, within the following 5 sections: - Key economic and socio-economic issues - Subvention mechanisms - Route development initiatives - Infrastructure provision - Issues affecting the provision of air services in remoter regions.

    Contents: Introduction, George Williams; Part A Provision of Air Services and Their Impact: Deciding on the right amount of air transport in remoter regions - key issues, Svein BrÃ¥then; Trends in air service development within the Highlands and Islands of Scotland 1983-2006, Romano Pagliari; Developing air services in the Azores, Luis Silveira; The economic impact of air transport in remoter regions, Jon Inge Lian; The marketing of small regional airports, Nigel Halpern. Part B Subvention Mechanisms: European experience of public service obligations, George Williams; Experience of PSO and the tendering process in Sweden, Göran Anger, Johan Holmér and Pär-Erik Westin; Tendering for and operating PSO routes, Basil O'Fee. Part C Infrastructure Provision: Airports infrastructure in Europe's remoter regions, Rodney Fewings; Problems of complying with ICAO Annex 14 at Norwegian aerodromes, Are Lien; Developing airports in a long term perspective - the case of Tromsø, Norway, Svein BrÃ¥then and Knut Fuglum. Part D Innovation: Virtual airlines: the concept of local heroes (not) flying, Lennart Bergbom and Johan Holmér; Transportation of goods and passengers to remote areas using airships: 2 case studies in India, Rajkumar S. Pant; The ICAO's tourism development route scheme, Ian Lowden and David J. Bentley. Part E Key Future Issues: Aviation and climate change - facing the challenge, Olav Mosvold Larsen and John Sjølander; A replacement sub-20 seat aircraft for remoter regions operations, Andy Foster; Effects of reducing the high price of air travel in remoter regions, George Williams and Svein BrÃ¥then; Index.

    Biography

    Dr. George Williams was until his retirement in September 2009 Reader in Airline Economics at Cranfield University. With an academic background in Transport Economics, he has extensive international lecturing experience and has written two books and over 50 papers and research reports all exploring the impact of deregulation on the airline industry. In 1998 he was appointed Special Adviser to the UK House of Lords European Communities Committee enquiry into the Commission's proposals to extend its powers to apply existing competition provisions to air services between the EU and third countries. He has led major studies into airline service provision in Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and the UK on behalf of the European Commission, Government departments, regulatory authorities, airlines and airport authorities. Whilst at Cranfield he headed the Centre for Air Transport in Remoter Regions, which organises a bi-annual international Forum devoted to issues concerning air transport provision in Remoter Regions, the most recent of which was held in Bergen in April 2009. He is a Fellow of both the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport. Dr. Svein Bråthen is a Professor in Transport Economics at Molde University College in Norway, and he is also heading the Department of Transport Research at Molde Research Institute. He graduated with a BSc in Civil Engineering (1979), a BSc in Economics (1985) and a PhD in Transport Economics from NTNU, Norway (2001). His research is mainly within Air Transport Economics, Regional Economics, and Economic Impact Assessment. He has led a number of research projects within these areas. Within air transport, Bråthen has been responsible for developing the methods to be used in Norway for larger air transport investments and he has also done analyses of the Norwegian STOL airport system as well as of the larger airports.

    'Williams and Brathen, through the papers presented in Air Transport Provision in Remoter Regions, provide a wealth of information on issues that are faced by airport professionals in remote areas of Europe and Asia. More importantly, the editors recognised early in the forum process that the challenges faced by those operating and managing airports in remote regions of Europe are not unique but shared by airport managers and air service providers throughout the world. Readers will certainly be glad the editors have shared their insights and continue to provide a forum to address the issues associated with air service in the less travelled areas of the planet.' Journal of Airport Management, Vol 5 No 3, 2011 ’Overall this book provides invaluable insights into the financial, regulatory, technical and environmental challenges facing air transport in serving more remote regions.’ The Aerospace Professional, June 2012