The Structure of the International Air Network through the Social Network Analysis

This study aimed at examining the structure of the international air network through the analysis of inter-city spatial interactions. For this purpose, this study applied a modified social network analysis model to examine spatial interactions between cities. The international networkability of cities and the connectivity of the international air routes were measured in the international air network in 1992 and 2004. The connection system between cities was analyzed, using air routes that show the maximum connectivity of each city. The connection system, composed of cities with high networkability in the global network, and the changes were also examined. As a result, the analysis of the nearest-neighbor distance between the cities revealed that in both 1992 and 2004, the center of the global network was formed around London through connections to Paris, New York, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt, and most of the cities in Europe and America were connected to London. The Asian cities, however, formed a different connection system around such cities as Tokyo, Singapore, and Hong Kong. In the connection system of the global network, the Asian cities showed dynamic changes in their connection patterns.