Regional aviation is defined by a range of characteristics that convert this business in a market subsector perfectly delimited .

 Characteristics of Regional Aviation

Connections of regular nature.

It is understood by regular, that it is repeated with a cadence of time determined by the Company, normally daily, or at least, weekly.

Airplanes of reduced to capacity (30-100 seats) and high quality.

The aircrafts used have a reduced capacity of seats. The evolution of the fleet in the last years has produced an increase of 100 seats aircrafts, in damage of the airplanes of less than 30 seats. As a result, the average capacity of the fleets of regional companies has been increasing progressively.

The airplanes used for regional aviation are the result of recent technological innovation, transforming the turboprops into regional jets, obtaining effectiveness, flexibility and respect to the environment, reducing the noise and the gas discharge, obtaining as  final result airplanes with small capacity but high indices of comfort on board.

Short or medium/average distances (200-500 km).

The routes of medium ranges. In countries with an important development of Regional Aviation, as France or Germany, the medium ranges have been situated in the last located years in 500 and 450 kilometers respectively.

It operates routes of low and medium density of traffic.

The market of this kind of aviation is formed by routes of low and medium density of traffic, from 10.000 to 100.000 passengers per year.

It offers more frequencies and schedules.

There is a considerable weekly offer of flights. In this market it is habitual to supply more than two flights daily and it is considered like one of the main factors of the service, as it offers the opportunity of making a roundtrip in the same day, saving time and money.

It does not compete with the conventional reactors of big size (bigger of 100 seats).

In the cases of shared routes, normally what the regional operator makes is to complete the hours or the week from Monday to Thursday with airplanes of reduced capacity. The regional companies frequently establish agreements in the routes, where they compete with great reactors, with the aim of not overlapping schedules. With this type of agreement, both passenger and companies are beneficiaries.

Complement of the network of the big companies, it does not compete with the traditional airline companies as its purpose is:

• To cover the routes that big companies cannot make, as they do not have the suitable airplanes.
• To cover the schedules from Monday to Thursday with demand in the routes of average density.
• In addition, most of the great companies have their regional branchs or agreements of collaboration.

For Regional Aviation the operation at big airports is vitally important since one of its functions is to nourish and complement the traffic to great companies. Therefore, the transport from small centers, where the operation with conventional airplanes is not profitable, to great centers of distribution of aerial traffic (denominated "hubs" like Madrid, Barcelona, London, Paris) is fundamental to add and contribute to increase traffic to other companies.

It allows cross-sectional aerial connections.

This point is connected to the previous one, as it takes advantage of the hollows left by the big companies, that are focused on the great airports, allowing the regional operators to make connections between cities of medium or low population.

Focused the businessman.

Regional Aviation is mainly centered, in the demand of the passengers who travel for business; taking into account also other groups of interest in the market. This type of passenger accepts and values better the advantages of regional aviation.