MARKET-BASED ALLOCATION OF AIRPORT SLOTS

Can market mechanisms improve the allocation of scarce airport capacity?
Airport slots remain one of the scarcest resources in air transport, yet their allocation continues to rely predominantly on administrative rules. As demand for air travel continues to grow and infrastructure expansion becomes increasingly challenging, the need for more efficient allocation mechanisms is becoming ever more pressing.

In a new Lear Competition Note, Eduardo Cardadeiro and João E. Gata examine whether a gradual, market-based approach could improve the allocation of airport slots while preserving coordination and public-interest objectives. The paper proposes a progressive, quality-sensitive combinatorial auction designed to introduce market signals alongside the current allocation framework, encouraging a more efficient use of scarce airport capacity while facilitating access for new entrants and taking into account both economic value and service quality.  

📄 Read the full Competition Note here Read more

The Lear Lisbon Talk on Competition & Regulation – Photos and video

The Lear Lisbon Talk on Competition & Regulation has recently concluded, bringing together leading representatives from institutions, academia, regulatory authorities, and the legal and economic professions to discuss key developments in competition law and economic regulation.

The event marked an important opportunity to strengthen Lear’s engagement with the Portuguese competition community and foster dialogue on some of the key challenges facing competition policy and economic regulation. Through insightful contributions from distinguished speakers, participants exchanged perspectives on the application of Article 102 TFEU, damages quantification, and the future of economic regulation in liberalised sectors.

 Event recording

Keynote Speech – Nuno Cunha Rodrigues
Panel: Article 102 TFEU: Assessment and Damages Quantification
Panel: Economic Regulation and Liberalization
Closing remarks – HE Professor Doutor Joaquim Miranda Sarmento

📰 Read the media coverage

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Abordagem excessivamente permissiva nas concentrações comporta risco de não criar verdadeiros campe…

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Lear is looking for an Economist

Lear is looking for a talented Economist to join our team and contribute to the delivery of applied economic consulting projects in the fields of competition and regulation.

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Lear is looking for a Data Analyst

Lear is looking for a talented Data Analyst to join our team and contribute to the delivery of economic consulting projects through data collection, analysis, and interpretation.

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Lear Lisbon Talk on Competition & Regulation

We are excited to announce our upcoming event, the Lear Lisbon Talk on Competition Regulation, to be held on Monday, June 29, 2026, in Lisbon, an event dedicated to recent developments in competition law, private enforcement, and economic regulation, with a particular focus on the Portuguese and European.

The event will open with a welcome address by Lear Partners Eduardo Cardadeiro, Montezuma Dumangane and João E. Gata, followed by a keynote speech by Prof. Nuno Cunha Rodrigues, President of the Portuguese Competition Authority, and will conclude with closing remarks by HE Professor Doutor Joaquim Miranda Sarmento, Minister of State and Finance of Portugal. Read more

Save the date | The Lear Lisbon Talk on Competition & Regulation

Competition enforcement and regulation in Portugal and across Europe are evolving rapidly under the goal of ensuring fair and competitive markets while supporting growth and innovation. The importance of recognising and assessing the multidimensional effects of Article 102 infringements on affected parties and market dynamics and the challenges affecting the continued liberalisation of regulated sectors, have highlighted the need for a discussion between authorities, courts, operators and practitioners. Read more

Lear further strengthens its team in Portugal with the appointment of a new Partner

Lear is pleased to announce the appointment of Eduardo Cardadeiro as Partner. Eduardo joins Montezuma Dumangane and João Eduardo Gata in Lear’s leadership team in Portugal, further strengthening the firm’s capabilities in economic regulation and public policy advisory. Read more

WORKSHOP – DAI WALLET DIGITALI AI PAGAMENTI BIOMETRICI: LE NUOVE DINAMICHE COMPETITIVE NEI PAGAMENTI ONLINE – SLIDE E VIDEO

Si è recentemente concluso il workshop “Dai wallet digitali ai pagamenti biometrici”, un evento che ha approfondito le trasformazioni in atto nel settore dei pagamenti online in Europa.
L’incontro ha riunito esperti del settore, professionisti dell’antitrust e rappresentanti delle istituzioni per discutere l’impatto della diffusione dei digital wallet e dei pagamenti biometrici. Durante il workshop sono emerse riflessioni rilevanti sulle nuove dinamiche competitive, sul posizionamento degli operatori tradizionali e sulle implicazioni di policy per favorire concorrenza e innovazione.

Sono disponibili i materiali dell’evento:

📌 Slide ➡ Presentazione dei risultati dello studio – Tavola Rotonda
🎥 Registrazione video ➡ Presentazione dello studio – Tavola Rotonda

Evaluation Support Study for the Revision of the Guidelines on State Aid to Airports and Airlines

We are pleased to announce that today the European Commission has published the final report “Evaluation Support Study for the Revision of the Guidelines on State Aid to Airports and Airlines”, prepared by a consortium comprising Lear as the Study leader, and partners Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung e. V. (“DIW”) and EY Economic and Policy Advisory Services SRL (“EY”).
The Guidelines on State Aid to Airports and Airlines (“Aviation Guidelines”) issued in 2014 set out the criteria under which certain State support measures granted to airlines and to airports are compatible with the single market. Read more

The dual nature of the competitive relationship between card schemes and digital wallets

Innovation has been reshaping the payments landscape, leading to the rise of new payment methods: digital wallets such as Apple Pay and Google Pay are increasingly used by consumers for online payments. New payment methods rely on traditional payment services (cards and credit transfers), resulting in new and complex relationships among operators active at different stages of the payments value chain.

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