An Empirical Study on Environmental Efficiency Measurements and Influencing Factors

Airlines are an important part of the comprehensive transportation system. Therefore, it is of great practical significance to empirically analyse the measurement of airlines’ environmental efficiency and influencing factors. Adopting the SBM-DEA model, this study measured the environmental efficiency of 20 Chinese airlines between 2010 and 2017 and empirically analysed the factors influencing their environmental efficiency using a Tobit regression model. Spring Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Hainan Airlines were found to have the highest environmental efficiency. Tianjin Airlines, Hebei Airlines, and China Express Airlines had the lowest environmental efficiency. The Tobit regression results showed that average flight distance, load factor, market share, and proportion of cargo and mail turnover had a significant positive effect on airline environmental efficiency. Fuel consumption per ton-km had a significant negative effect on airline environmental efficiency.