An integrated data envelopment analysis framework for operational efficiency assessment in Brazilian international airports

International airports play a significant role in a country's economic development. We propose an integrated framework for operational efficiency analysis using Data Envelopment Analysis, Windows Analysis, and Malmquist Index to identify inefficiencies and areas of improvement in the air transportation industry. This study analyzed 23 Brazilian international airports from 2010 to 2021, using the DEA Window Analysis (DEAWA) combined with the Index (MI). The airports were grouped geographically in southern Brazil. The integration of these methods brought an important insight to the evaluation processes, even for those previously analyzed using DEA. The analyses found that COVID-19 potently influenced the drop in the efficiency index. No airport was fully efficient over the analyzed periods. Private airports achieved an efficiency index slightly higher than public ones, but the difference of the efficiency index by public–private management type is not clear. This type of analysis provides a strategic and comparative tool, making it possible to understand better the weaknesses of the air transportation system.