Enhancing regional connectivity: A multimodal accessibility assessment for public service obligation routes

Air transport plays a pivotal role in regional development by providing essential connectivity to remote areas. This study aims to examine the enhanced accessibility resulting from new air route establishments in remote regions lacking air connections. Using cumulative opportunity accessibility measures, we analyze overall accessibility effects across diverse route configurations, adopting a multi-modal transport network perspective. Introducing a novel scoring metric, Opportunity Achievement Worth (OAW), we quantify potential accessibility gains from new air routes as a comprehensive score, aggregating all conceivable route configuration scenarios. The results reveal varying impacts of single routes, while route combinations demonstrate substantial accessibility improvements. With increasing routes, disparities in accessibility diminish, emphasizing the need to optimize overall accessibility impact through strategic route determination. Also, OAW can be a valuable tool for decision-making in prioritizing air route developments, especially within the context of Public Service Obligation (PSO), aiming to enhance regional accessibility and socioeconomic benefits in underserved regions.