Evaluating the efficiency of the Indian airports using fuzzy DEA method

Conventional DEA model has been extensively used for efficiency measurement of the airports, but it has an underlying assumption and limitation that input and output data are known with absolute precision. Addressing the above limitation and fulfilling the research gap, the current study develops and utilises the fuzzy-based data envelopment analysis (FDEA) model with the purpose to measure the airport efficiency precisely with the imprecise data. As Indian airport industry has entered into the realm of privatisation since 2000, the paper has undertaken performance measurement of both privatised and public airports to showcase their implications. The result obtained from the study has identified government owned small airports in combination with a single till regulation has turned out to be most efficient. The findings of the study highlight the managerial implications helpful to decision-makers and policymakers in the airport industry. The paper also demonstrates that the FDEA model is a pragmatic tool for airport efficiency measurement.