Recent Advances in Air Transport Policies

CALL FOR PAPERS

Recent Advances in Air Transport Policies

Journal: Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice

Publisher: Elsevier

Submission Deadline: 29 October 2026

Introduction

The air transportation sector is transitioning into a new normal — leaving behind the emergency phase brought about by the recent global pandemic. Airlines and related stakeholders have strengthened their performance and are rethinking business models in response to significant structural changes. As the sector moves forward, new strategies and policies are being developed to support growth, consolidation, sustainability, and long-term resilience — reflecting major shifts in demand, supply, operations, and the scope of public intervention.

This Special Issue invites high-quality submissions that investigate and critically evaluate evolving strategies, policy frameworks, and structural adaptations in the air transport sector — providing clear evidence of policy relevance and supporting a deeper understanding of the mechanisms driving change in the post-pandemic environment.

Scope & Significance

This Special Issue invites rigorous theoretical and empirical papers examining how airlines and policymakers adapt to changes in demand, competition, networks, regulation, pricing, and market structure — as well as sustainability, decarbonization, and resilience to global disruptions. All submissions must clearly address public policy and provide actionable insights.

Note: Manuscripts focused primarily on business and operational aspects — such as air traffic control, aviation safety and security, or flight operations — will not be considered unless they explicitly address public policy issues and generate actionable policy insights. Management-oriented research lacking a clear connection to public policy also falls outside the scope of this Special Issue.

List of Topic Areas

Manuscripts are invited on themes including, but not limited to:

1. Passenger preferences, behavior, and demand recovery in the post-pandemic era

2. Airline competition, cooperation, and ownership structures

3. Route network evolution and connectivity — domestic and international

4. Public intervention and regulatory policy analysis in air transport

5. Pricing strategies, investment decisions, and subsidy frameworks

6. Evaluation of mergers, alliances, and market consolidation

7. Policy implications of international air service agreements

8. Transition to Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) and decarbonization strategies

9. Environmental sustainability and climate policy integration in aviation

10. System resilience and adaptive strategies in the face of global disruptions

11. Post-pandemic structural change and airline business model transformation

12. Airport governance, capacity management, and public policy

13. Low-cost carrier growth, network effects, and regulatory responses

14. Carbon pricing, emissions trading, and aviation's climate obligations

15. Public support, state aid, and aviation sector recovery frameworks

Guest Editors

Prof. Christian Bontemps Ecole Nationale Aviation Civile & Toulouse School of Economics, Toulouse, France Email: christian.bontemps@tse-fr.eu

Dr. Yulai Wan The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, China Email: sarah.wan@polyu.edu.hk

Key Deadlines

Manuscript Submission Deadline: 29 October 2026

Submission Guidelines

Submit your manuscript via Editorial Manager, the official online submission system for Transportation Research Part A. When submitting, select Article Type:

"VSI: Air Transport"

This ensures your submission will be considered for this Special Issue rather than being handled as a regular paper.

All submissions will undergo a rigorous peer-review process consistent with the high standards of Transportation Research Part A. Accepted papers will be published online and made accessible to the research community immediately — regardless of the timing of the Special Issue's print release.

If you are uncertain whether your submission aligns with the scope of this Special Issue, contact the guest editors for a preliminary assessment before submitting.

All submissions must be original and must not be under review elsewhere at the time of submission.

About the Journal

Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, published by Elsevier, is a leading international peer-reviewed journal with a CiteScore of 11.3 and Impact Factor of 6.8. It supports open access publishing and is dedicated to advancing research on transportation policy and practice — providing a global platform for rigorous empirical and theoretical scholarship exploring how transportation systems are governed, regulated, and shaped by public policy across diverse modes and institutional contexts.

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