Identification of Remote Locations in the Amazon for Attendance by Subsidized Air Transport on the Criteria for Classification as a Lifeline
Regional air transportation; subsidized air routes; remote locations; lifelines
The perception that air transport promotes regional economic growth has fostered investigations into regional air transport and the necessary incentives for its development. Depending on the types of financing being used and the results of the investments, several countries have established specific subsidy strategies aimed at integrating their regions through air services. On the other hand, some studies explain the attributes considered for the areas served, demonstrating their dependence on air transport as it is the only viable means of transport. The objective of this thesis is to distinguish the characteristic geography of these places, revealing the circumstances that explain the need for subsidies for the operationalization of air transport. Socioeconomic information was collected from 1,365 subsidized routes in 28 countries in the Americas, Asia, Europe and Oceania. The profiles of the communities served were divided into eight clusters. By applying hypothesis tests, it was possible to identify the non-normality of the frequency distributions of all variables, both the group of subsidized lines with an economic nature and those considered as life lines, characterized as an essential link for remote communities. The data were processed with a lifeline utility function modeling and the results revealed that remote areas such as islands, high latitudes or dense impenetrable forests rely almost entirely on air transport as a means of transport. The utility function, simulated for isolated communities in the Amazon rainforest not served by air transport and with no other viable means of access to transport, resulted in values that represent dependence on air transport, legitimizing the continued existence of subsidy for services as a fundamental requirement. for the population's access to humanitarian services.