Mapping the spatial organisation of air transport network by WENA-MLST analysis

Due to the airline hubs’ organisation such as linkage, hierarchical structure, and hub-and-spoke remains a mystery at a global scale. Thereby, the research aims to unravel the spatial organisation of airline hubs in the air transport network (ATN) by  using weighted ego network analysis (WENA), Ht-index, and maximum leaf spanning tree (MLST) at multi-scales. The findings provide valuable insights into the status of different regional cities in the ATN and the critical relationship between hubs and their associated spokes. The result shows that the ATN is a legibly hierarchical network, and three types of airline hubs, i.e. global, international, and regional hubs have been identified. Additionally, the study reveals that the ATN is made up of several regional hub-and-spoke systems, where hubs dominate their subgraphs, with range and geographical proximity effects are observed. Finally, the role of airline hubs as international gateways and domestic hubs is also noted.