Spatial and commercial evolution of aviation networks: a case study in mainland Portugal

This paper applies network analysis to study the evolution of aviation networks. It takes a different approach from previous research that usually only explores airline networks. The aviation network of the airports of Lisbon, Faro and Porto, is modelled using the supply of seats and the passenger demand between 2001 and 2010. This analysis is complemented with a study of the commercial evolution of the three airports. It is noticeable the impact of low-cost carriers in the evolution of the configuration of the network over time. A de-concentration effect is also shown to occur, due to the interaction between airport and airline decisions that favour network development. The results of the analysis highlight how critical it has become for airport managers to assess and satisfy the real requirements of the different types of airlines, in order to reduce uncertainty and increase traffic.

[1]  Richard de Neufville,et al.  Low-Cost Airports for Low-Cost Airlines: Flexible Design to Manage the Risks , 2008 .

[2]  Matthew Zook,et al.  Global airline networks and nodal regions , 2008 .

[3]  Gergana Assenova Bounova,et al.  Topological evolution of networks : case studies in the US airlines and language Wikipedias , 2009 .

[4]  Aisling J. Reynolds-Feighan,et al.  European and American approaches to air transport liberalisation: Some implications for small communities , 1995 .

[5]  C. Barbot.  Low-cost airlines, secondary airports, and state aid: An economic assessment of the Ryanair–Charleroi Airport agreement , 2006 .

[6]  J. H. Huston,et al.  THE EFFECTS OF FORTRESS HUBS ON AIRLINE FARES AND SERVICE : THE EARLY RETURNS , 1988 .

[7]  S. Borenstein.  Hubs and High Fares: Dominance and Market Power in the U.S. Airline Industry , 1989 .

[8]  Guillaume Burghouwt,et al.  The spatial configuration of airline networks in Europe , 2003 .

[9]  A. Graham.  Managing Airports: An International Perspective , 2018 .

[10]  J. Bowen,et al.  Airline hubs in Southeast Asia: national economic development and nodal accessibility , 2000 .

[11]  S. Barrett.  PERIPHERAL MARKET ENTRY, PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION, SUPPLIER RENTS AND SUSTAINABILITY IN THE DEREGULATED EUROPEAN AVIATION MARKET - A CASE STUDY , 1999 .

[12]  F. Dobruszkes.  Does liberalisation of air transport imply increasing competition? Lessons from the European case , 2009 .

[13]  Andreas Papatheodorou,et al.  Spatial evolution of airport traffic and air transport liberalisation: the case of Greece , 2009 .

[14]  Yifan Hu,et al.  Efficient, High-Quality Force-Directed Graph Drawing , 2006 .

[15]  Renato Redondi,et al.  Pricing strategies of low-cost airlines: The Ryanair case study , 2009 .

[16]  Mathieu Bastian,et al.  Gephi: An Open Source Software for Exploring and Manipulating Networks , 2009, ICWSM.

[17]  Guillaume Burghouwt,et al.  Airline Network Development in Europe and its Implications for Airport Planning , 2007 .

[18]  Jon Inge Lian,et al.  Airport competition – Regional airports losing ground to main airports , 2011 .

[19]  Morton E. O'Kelly,et al.  A geographer's analysis of hub-and-spoke networks☆ , 1998 .

[20]  Brian Graham,et al.  Low-cost airlines in Europe: Reconciling liberalization and sustainability , 2008 .

[21]  F. Dobruszkes.  An Analysis of European Low-Cost Airlines and their Networks , 2006 .

[22]  Nigel Dennis,et al.  INDUSTRY CONSOLIDATION AND FUTURE AIRLINE NETWORK STRUCTURES IN EUROPE , 2003 .

[23]  Tom Reynolds,et al.  Airport systems planning, design, and management , 2003 .

[24]  Yehuda Hayuth,et al.  Spatial characteristics of transportation hubs: centrality and intermediacy , 1994 .