Topology and Robustness of Weighted Air Transport Networks in Multi-Airport Region

Abstract

Topological analyses of multi-airport regional air transport networks are the basis for the sustainable development of multi-airport systems. In this study, we modeled the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region’s airport infrastructure as a network and presented a weighted approach by which to analyze the network structure and robustness from the perspective of complex network theory. The analysis of the Yangtze River Delta Airport Network (YRDAN) indicates that it is a small-world network, and its cumulative degree has a power-law distribution, suggesting that it has scale-free properties. As its weighted clustering coefficient was found to be much smaller than the non-weighted counterpart, this demonstrates that most of the network traffic is focused on a hub-and-spoke pattern. Furthermore, the over-centrality of the YRDAN suggests weak accessibility of small cities and high dependence of air transport on the hub-and-spoke pattern. The assessment of the robustness of the YRDAN in the face of intentional attacks found that domestic networks are more robust than foreign aviation networks. However, the isolation of a small fraction of selected nodes can cause serious problems in the functioning of the YRDAN.