2017 Volume 12 Pages 922-938
Airport connectivity is the basic and core element in analyzing an aviation network. It has been applied in various studies to understand how network transformation is related to market growth and how it influences airport development. Nevertheless, airport connectivity lacks a common definition and measurement. This study intends to explore airport connectivity from an airport viewpoint by introducing the concept of airport network unit, which helps to clarify the content and types of airport connectivity. A conceptual research framework of airport connectivity is developed to analyze its relationship with various markets. Different airport connectivity measurements and indicators are also illustrated. The airport connectivity of the top 200 airports was measured using Innovata 2016 flight data. Results showed that the well-defined proposed framework and the simplified connectivity indicators could help understanding the driving forces behind the aviation network formation, airport competition, and market-related topics.
