Abstract: Assessing the stability of complex networks on large airport airways is of great significance for airway network design, emergency response, and flight delay reducing. Firstly, the airway network stability is defined. Then, based on the basic theories such as complex network and stability, the airway stability, node stability, city pair, hub airport indicators, flight delay data are collected, the stability evaluation index is determined based on the propagation delay distance, the number of delayed airports and the number of airport delays. A total of 35 airports with an annual passenger throughput of more than 10 million in 2018 are selected. The city-to-airway network and hub-airway network are respectively established. The airway delay statistics within a week are conducted and the evaluation indicators are calculated. Finally, statistical methods are used to compare and analyze the stability of airline network. Results show that under the same circumstances, the maximum numbers of the absolute delays of the city-to-airway network and the hub airway network are respectively 1 417 and 496. Thus the hub airway network is more stable than the city-to-airway network.

Key words: large airport, airline network, complex network, stability, flight delay