Study of Efficiency of European Groups of Airlines using Input-Oriented DEA Model

Airlines efficiency as a ratio of input and output operating indicators is a frequently researched topic. This paper presents a new perspective on the issue - the efficiency of European groups of airlines. The air transport market is complicated. Competition and various influences are reflected in changes in the industry. In Europe, there has been a consolidation of the industry, with several companies joining together to form a single holding structure. The work examined the efficiency of the Easy Group, Ryanair Group, Lufthansa Group and Air France-KLM Group. Available seat kilometers, available ton kilometers, and number of aircraft were used as input parameters. Number of passengers, revenue passenger kilometers, revenue ton kilometers, and total revenues were used as outputs. Annual data was collected for the 2009–2022 period. All calculations were performed using DEAFrontier Software. The effectiveness of the groups studied varied over the period. Easy Group showed inefficiencies in 2011 and 2012. Ryanair's group parameters are inconsistent between 2011–2015 and 2018–2022. The Air France-KLM group had only one inconsistent year, 2016. The Lufthansa Group can be considered the most efficient without a deviation between achieved output parameters and the optimal level of efficiency.