Determinants of Performance in European ATM – How to Analyze a Diverse Industry

Air traffic control is considered to be a bottleneck in European air traffic management. As a result, the performance of the air navigation service providers is critically examined and also used for benchmarking. Using quantitative methods, we investigate which endogenous and exogenous factors affect the performance of air traffic control units on different levels. The methodological discussion is complemented by an empirical analysis. Results may be used to derive recommendations for operators, airspace users, and policymakers. We find that efficiency depends significantly on traffic patterns and the decisions of airspace users, but changes in the airspace structure could also make a significant contribution to performance improvements.