Note on the productivity convergence of airports in China

The present paper uses a Malmquist index measure of productivity growth to study the productivity convergence of 25 airports in China during the period 1995-2004. By decomposing the Malmquist index, we find evidence for the convergence of the efficiency level of airports, but not the productivity and technology levels. These results imply that the more productive airports are pushing the frontiers of technology faster by adopting new technology, and that the relative efficiency level of the laggards increases quickly and catches up with the efficiency level of the leaders over time.