Performance evaluation of Italian airports: A data envelopment analysis

This paper addresses empirically financial and operational performance of Italian airports using data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology. With panel data for 2001-2003, the study tests variable relationships-the relative roles of dimension, managerial status and workload unit-to measure the proximity of the airports to the frontiers of best practices. The implications of the research for managerial purposes are then drawn to validate prior findings of the same relationships in other geographical contexts. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.