IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jaitra/v74y2019icp1-12.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Is spatial dispersal the dominant trend in air transport development? A global analysis for 2006–2015

Author

Listed:
  • Wong, W.H.
  • Cheung, Tommy
  • Zhang, Anming
  • Wang, Yue

Abstract

The economic performance of a city or region is considered to be intertwined with its air travel capability. It is thus important for planners and stakeholders to understand the changes in the global aviation network. This study investigates the global aviation network, taking 10 years worth's OAG data from the years 2006–2015 and examines whether a spatial dispersal trend dominates the development of the aviation industry. It considers the aviation network at the airport level, and the airport–city level, which may consist of one or more airports. After clarification of the various definitions of concentration, we find that there appears a trend toward a dispersal pattern in the global aviation network at the airport level. On the other hand, there appears a slight concentration at the airport–city level. Besides, there have been some major capacity expansions at airports in the Middle East and East Asia, while the capacities of some traditional hubs in Europe and North America have become increasingly constrained since the 2008 global financial crisis. Furthermore, our study provides further observations consistent with the phenomenon of bypassing of traditional hubs, especially mega-hubs. Competition for passengers among hubs and secondary airports, especially in multi-airport cities, is discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Wong, W.H. & Cheung, Tommy & Zhang, Anming & Wang, Yue, 2019. "Is spatial dispersal the dominant trend in air transport development? A global analysis for 2006–2015," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 1-12.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jaitra:v:74:y:2019:i:c:p:1-12
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jairtraman.2018.09.011
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096969971730460X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jairtraman.2018.09.011?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Logothetis, Michail & Miyoshi, Chikage, 2018. "Network performance and competitive impact of the single hub – A case study on Turkish Airlines and Emirates," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 215-223.
    2. Wan, Yulai & Ha, Hun-Koo & Yoshida, Yuichiro & Zhang, Anming, 2016. "Airlines’ reaction to high-speed rail entries: Empirical study of the Northeast Asian market," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 532-557.
    3. Frédéric Dobruszkes & Moshe Givoni & Timothy Vowles, 2017. "Hello major airports, goodbye regional airports? Recent changes in European and US low-cost airline airport choice," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/239911, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    4. Jan K. Brueckner & Nichola J. Dyer & Pablo T. Spiller, 1992. "Fare Determination in Airline Hub-and-Spoke Networks," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 23(3), pages 309-333, Autumn.
    5. Jan K. Brueckner, 2003. "Airline Traffic and Urban Economic Development," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 40(8), pages 1455-1469, July.
    6. Germa Bel & Xavier Fageda, 2010. "Intercontinental Flights From European Airports: Towards Hub Concentration Or Not?," Articles, International Journal of Transport Economics, vol. 37(2).
    7. André de Palma & Robin Lindsey & Emile Quinet & Robert Vickerman, 2011. "Handbook Of Transport Economics," PSE-Ecole d'économie de Paris (Postprint) halshs-00754912, HAL.
    8. Tae Hoon Oum & Anming Zhang & Yimin Zhang, 1995. "Airline Network Rivalry," Canadian Journal of Economics, Canadian Economics Association, vol. 28(4a), pages 836-857, November.
    9. Matsumoto, Hidenobu & Domae, Koji & O'Connor, Kevin, 2016. "Business connectivity, air transport and the urban hierarchy: A case study in East Asia," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 132-139.
    10. Dobruszkes, Frédéric & Van Hamme, Gilles, 2011. "The impact of the current economic crisis on the geography of air traffic volumes: an empirical analysis," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(6), pages 1387-1398.
    11. Dobruszkes, Frédéric & Givoni, Moshe & Vowles, Timothy, 2017. "Hello major airports, goodbye regional airports? Recent changes in European and US low-cost airline airport choice," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 50-62.
    12. Ken Sinclair-Smith & Ivan Turok, 2012. "The changing spatial economy of cities: An exploratory analysis of Cape Town," Development Southern Africa, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 29(3), pages 391-417, September.
    13. Button, Kenneth, 2002. "Debunking some common myths about airport hubs," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 8(3), pages 177-188.
    14. Suau-Sanchez, Pere & Burghouwt, Guillaume, 2011. "The geography of the Spanish airport system: spatial concentration and deconcentration patterns in seat capacity distribution, 2001–2008," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 244-254.
    15. Reynolds-Feighan, Aisling, 2010. "Characterisation of airline networks: A North American and European comparison," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 16(3), pages 109-120.
    16. Kevin X. Li & Meifeng Luo & Jinglei Yang, 2012. "Container port systems in China and the USA: a comparative study," Maritime Policy & Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(5), pages 461-478, September.
    17. André de Palma & Robin Lindsey & Emile Quinet & Roger Vickerman (ed.), 2011. "A Handbook of Transport Economics," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 12679.
    18. Ken Hendricks & Michele Piccione & Guofu Tan, 1995. "The Economics of Hubs: The Case of Monopoly," The Review of Economic Studies, Review of Economic Studies Ltd, vol. 62(1), pages 83-99.
    19. Germà Bel & Xavier Fageda, 2008. "Getting there fast: globalization, intercontinental flights and location of headquarters," Journal of Economic Geography, Oxford University Press, vol. 8(4), pages 471-495, July.
    20. Zhang, Anming & Hanaoka, Shinya & Inamura, Hajime & Ishikura, Tomoki, 2008. "Low-cost carriers in Asia: Deregulation, regional liberalization and secondary airports," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 36-50.
    21. Frédéric Dobruszkes & Gilles Van Hamme, 2011. "The impact of the current economic crisis on the geography of air traffic volumes: an empirical analysis," ULB Institutional Repository 2013/96228, ULB -- Universite Libre de Bruxelles.
    22. Suau-Sanchez, Pere & Voltes-Dorta, Augusto & Rodríguez-Déniz, Héctor, 2016. "Measuring the potential for self-connectivity in global air transport markets: Implications for airports and airlines," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 70-82.
    23. Anming Zhang & Yimin Zhang & Joseph A. Clougherty, 2011. "Competition and Regulation in Air Transport," Chapters, in: André de Palma & Robin Lindsey & Emile Quinet & Roger Vickerman (ed.), A Handbook of Transport Economics, chapter 35, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    24. Wei, Fangwu & Grubesic, Tony H., 2015. "The dehubbing Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG): A spatiotemporal panorama," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 49(C), pages 85-98.
    25. O’Connell, John F. & Bueno, Oriol Escofet, 2018. "A study into the hub performance Emirates, Etihad Airways and Qatar Airways and their competitive position against the major European hubbing airlines," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 69(C), pages 257-268.
    26. Maertens, Sven, 2010. "Drivers of long haul flight supply at secondary airports in Europe," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 239-243.
    27. Fu, Xiaowen & Zhang, Anming & Lei, Zheng, 2012. "Will China’s airline industry survive the entry of high-speed rail?," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 13-25.
    28. Reynolds-Feighan, Aisling, 2001. "Traffic distribution in low-cost and full-service carrier networks in the US air transportation market," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 7(5), pages 265-275.
    29. Oum, Tae Hoon & Zhang, Anming, 2001. "Key aspects of global strategic alliances and the impacts on the future of Canadian airline industry," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 7(5), pages 287-301.
    30. Derudder, Ben & Devriendt, Lomme & Witlox, Frank, 2010. "A spatial analysis of multiple airport cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 345-353.
    31. O'Connor, Kevin & Fuellhart, Kurt, 2016. "Airports and regional air transport markets: A new perspective," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 78-82.
    32. Derudder, Ben & Witlox, Frank, 2008. "Mapping world city networks through airline flows: context, relevance, and problems," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 305-312.
    33. Redondi, Renato & Malighetti, Paolo & Paleari, Stefano, 2012. "De-hubbing of airports and their recovery patterns," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 1-4.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Zuidberg, Joost & de Wit, Jaap G., 2020. "The development of long-haul low-cost networks in the North Atlantic airline market: An exploratory data approach," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 95(C), pages 103-113.
    2. Qi Zhang & Bo Wang & Desheng Xue, 2022. "The Hub Competition in Delivering Air Connectivity between China and Oceania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-19, May.
    3. Cheung, Tommy K.Y. & Wong, Collin W.H. & Zhang, Anming, 2020. "The evolution of aviation network: Global airport connectivity index 2006–2016," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    4. Liu, Shuli & Wan, Yulai & Zhang, Anming, 2020. "Does China’s high-speed rail development lead to regional disparities? A network perspective," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 138(C), pages 299-321.
    5. Kamruzzaman, Md. & Aston, Laura & Baker, Douglas & Braun, Boris & Shatu, Farjana, 2021. "Changes in land use typology of global airports: An empirical investigation with implications for the aerotropolis concept," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    6. Wang, Yue & Wong, Collin Wai Hung & Cheung, Tommy King-Yin & Wu, Edmund Yangming, 2021. "How influential factors affect aviation networks: A Bayesian network analysis," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    7. Warnock-Smith, David & Christidis, Panayotis, 2021. "European Union-Latin America/Caribbean air transport connectivity and competitiveness in different air policy contexts," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 92(C).
    8. Chung, Hye Min & Kwon, Oh Kyoung & Han, Ok Soon & Kim, Hwa-Joong, 2020. "Evolving network characteristics of the asian international aviation market: A weighted network approach," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 299-313.
    9. Liu, Shuli & Wan, Yulai & Ha, Hun-Koo & Yoshida, Yuichiro & Zhang, Anming, 2019. "Impact of high-speed rail network development on airport traffic and traffic distribution: Evidence from China and Japan," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 127(C), pages 115-135.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Sismanidou, Athina & Tarradellas, Joan & Bel, Germà & Fageda, Xavier, 2013. "Estimating potential long-haul air passenger traffic in national networks containing two or more dominant cities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 26(C), pages 108-116.
    2. Wong, Wai-Hung & Zhang, Anming & Cheung, Tommy King-Yin & Chu, Jeremy, 2019. "Examination of low-cost carriers' development at secondary airports using a comprehensive world airport classification," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 96-105.
    3. Pels, Eric, 2021. "Optimality of the hub-spoke system: A review of the literature, and directions for future research," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 1-10.
    4. Castillo-Manzano, José I. & López-Valpuesta, Lourdes & Pedregal, Diego J., 2012. "What role will hubs play in the LCC point-to-point connections era? The Spanish experience," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 262-270.
    5. Jiang, Changmin & Zhang, Anming, 2014. "Effects of high-speed rail and airline cooperation under hub airport capacity constraint," Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 33-49.
    6. Pere Suau-Sanchez & Guillaume Burghouwt & Xavier Fageda, 2016. "Reinterpreting EU Air Transport Deregulation: A Disaggregated Analysis of the Spatial Distribution of Traffic in Europe, 1990–2009," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 107(1), pages 48-65, February.
    7. Suau-Sanchez, Pere & Voltes-Dorta, Augusto & Rodríguez-Déniz, Héctor, 2016. "The role of London airports in providing connectivity for the UK: regional dependence on foreign hubs," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 94-104.
    8. Suau-Sanchez, Pere & Burghouwt, Guillaume, 2011. "The geography of the Spanish airport system: spatial concentration and deconcentration patterns in seat capacity distribution, 2001–2008," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(2), pages 244-254.
    9. Zhang, Shengrun & Derudder, Ben & Witlox, Frank, 2013. "The impact of hub hierarchy and market competition on airfare pricing in US hub-to-hub markets," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 32(C), pages 65-70.
    10. Pels, Eric, 2021. "Product differentiation and network optimality," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 110(C), pages 415-429.
    11. Anming Zhang & Yimin Zhang & Joseph A. Clougherty, 2011. "Competition and Regulation in Air Transport," Chapters, in: André de Palma & Robin Lindsey & Emile Quinet & Roger Vickerman (ed.), A Handbook of Transport Economics, chapter 35, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    12. Zhang, Qiong & Yang, Hangjun & Wang, Qiang & Zhang, Anming, 2014. "Market power and its determinants in the Chinese airline industry," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 1-13.
    13. Cheung, Tommy K.Y. & Wong, Collin W.H. & Zhang, Anming, 2020. "The evolution of aviation network: Global airport connectivity index 2006–2016," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 133(C).
    14. Choi, Jong Hae & Wang, Kun & Xia, Wenyi & Zhang, Anming, 2019. "Determining factors of air passengers’ transfer airport choice in the Southeast Asia – North America market: Managerial and policy implications," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 203-216.
    15. Dziedzic, Marcin & Njoya, Eric T. & Warnock-Smith, David & Hubbard, Nick, 2020. "Determinants of air traffic volumes and structure at small European airports," Research in Transportation Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    16. Pot, Felix Johan & Koster, Sierdjan, 2022. "Small airports: Runways to regional economic growth?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 98(C).
    17. Jiang, Changmin & Zhang, Anming, 2016. "Airline network choice and market coverage under high-speed rail competition," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 92(C), pages 248-260.
    18. Zeigler, Patrick & Pagliari, Romano & Suau-Sanchez, Pere & Malighetti, Paolo & Redondi, Renato, 2017. "Low-cost carrier entry at small European airports: Low-cost carrier effects on network connectivity and self-transfer potential," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 60(C), pages 68-79.
    19. Fageda, Xavier, 2014. "What hurts the dominant airlines at hub airports?," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 177-189.
    20. Pacheco, Ricardo Rodrigues & Braga, Márcia Estrada & Fernandes, Elton, 2015. "Spatial concentration and connectivity of international passenger traffic at Brazilian airports," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 49-55.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jaitra:v:74:y:2019:i:c:p:1-12. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-air-transport-management/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.