Air transport subsidies for resident passengers when carriers have market power

Abstract

We consider passengers with different willingness to pay that may live in a given geographical area and, thus, be entitled to a subsidy. The carrier has market power and may increase the ticket price if a subsidy for resident passengers is introduced. First, we find that if the proportion of residents is high enough, non-resident passengers may be expelled from the market. Second, we show that specific (ad valorem) subsidies for resident passengers are better if the proportion of passengers with high willingness to pay is low (high) enough. Finally, we apply these results to the Canary Islands case.