Study of the Robustness of the European Air Routes Network

Citation

Lordan, O., Florido, J., Sallan, J. M., Fernandez, V., and Simo, P. Gonzalez-Prieto, D. Study of the Robustness of the European Air Routes Network (February 26, 2014). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2401696

Abstract

The aim of this study is to analyze the robustness of the European civil European air transportation network from the perspective of the theory of complex networks. This study is based on analyzing the behavior of the network when its nodes (airports) are removed by random attacks and deliberate attacks. The selection of nodes on deliberate attacks is based on four criteria: degree, betweenness, pagerank and eigenvector. This study aims to contribute to the understanding of the logistics network of European commercial flights, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses. The calculation of network statistical indicators as degree and betweenness distribution reveals that the flight flow network has the small-world characteristics and scale-free property.