ABSTRACT
The critical association between air transportation and economic development is well-established in the academic literature (Alkaabi and Debbage, 2011, 2007; Bowen, 2000; Brueckner, 2003; Button et al., 1999; Button and Taylor, 2000; Debbage and Deik, 2001; Ivy et al., 1995; Kasarda and Green, 2005). Aviation traffic and revenues, for example, tend to increase in healthy economic and political environments, then slow down during economic recessions and following political conflicts, such as the First Gulf War (1990–91) and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks (Dobruszkes and Hamme, 2011; Franke and John, 2011).
