Identifying Merger Opportunities: The Case of Air Traffic Control
提出一个模型来识别行业或企业的最优横向合并配置，应用于欧洲空中交通管制系统，发现最优方案可节省约46%的成本，而政治导向方案仅节省约三分之一。
In “Identifying Merger Opportunities: The Case of Air Traffic Control,” N. Adler, O. Olesen, and N. Volta propose a model to identify an optimal horizontal merger configuration at the level of an industry or firm with multiple branches. Assuming that each firm operates within a catchment area or owns part of a network, we extend the model to consider feasible mergers that cover a contiguous area, should network effects be a consideration. An application to the European air traffic control system suggests that four contiguous air navigation service providers should replace the current 29 providers and the nine functional airspace blocks proposed in the Single European Skies initiative. The technological developments in air traffic management in which regulators on both sides of the Atlantic have invested heavily, namely SESAR and NextGen, are unlikely to be used without a concomitant reduction in operating costs through economies of scale. We find that the politically oriented solution may save around one third of current costs, but an optimal solution will save closer to 46%.