Air network performance and hub competitive position: evaluation of primary airports in East and South-East Asia

The growth of hub-and-spoke operations has changed the structure of competition among airlines and airports, meaning that airlines now compete both directly (air services from A to B) as well as indirectly (services from A to B via H). Traditional measures of airport performance, such as passenger enplanements and aircraft movements, fail to address indirect connectivity via hubs. This paper uses the NetScan connectivity model to compare the competitive position of 13 primary airports in East and South-East Asia between 2001 and 2007. The results reveal that Tokyo-Narita has the greatest total connectivity, and that it is composed of direct and indirect connections via other hubs. It also has the greatest hub connectivity. However, the most striking connectivity growth took place at the three major airports in mainland China: Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The number of both direct and indirect connections at these three airports increased at a much higher rate than at other airports in the sample. Indeed, other airports, such as Osaka-Kansai and Taipei, experienced deteriorating network performance during the period of analysis. The results presented here may be helpful for airlines and airports in identifying their competitive position vis-a-vis other airlines and airports.