A sequential approach to airport efficiency evaluation: Integrating two-stage DEA and truncated regression

This study aims to evaluate the efficiency of Vietnamese airports using a two-stage SBM-DEA model that captures both infrastructure and environmental performance. In the first stage, infrastructure efficiency is assessed through inputs such as terminal area, apron area, and runway area in relation to aircraft movements and fuel burned. The second stage focuses on environmental efficiency, incorporating throughputs and undesirable outputs such as emissions. The results show that only 27.3Â % of airports achieve overall efficiency, a proportion significantly lower than the number of airports efficient in individual stages. To investigate potential determinants of performance, a truncated regression model is applied, examining factors such as urban location, hub status, distance to the city center, and population density. The findings reveal that urban location and distance to the city center significantly influence efficiency, while hub status and population density have negligible impacts. This study contributes to the literature by integrating undesirable outputs into a network DEA framework and refining the regression approach to account for contextual variables, offering practical insights for optimizing infrastructure planning and environmental management in Vietnam's aviation sector.