Abstract:

Using complex network theory,the flight flow network is constructed and the following indices such as average path length,clustering coefficient,the decline rate of maximum connected subgraph size and overall efficiency are taken to analyse network survivability based on the failure of flight routes. The results show that the flight flow network has vulnerability to the deliberate route attack,especially the key routes with great betweenness,the network survivability decreases very fast,resulting in the fracture of the east-west link. The decline rate of network survivability under the weight of attack is slower than the betweenness attack,but because of the increasing average path length,the economic costs rise. So the routes with great betweenness and weight need to be ensured safely operation,and the structure of route network needs to be optimized continually.

Key words: air transportation, survivability, complex network, flights, scale-free property