Analysis of the Chinese Airline Network as multi layer networks
This paper encapsulates the Chinese Airline Network (CAN) into multi layer infrastructures via the "k core decomposition" method. The network is divided into three layers: Core layer, containing airports of provincial capital cities, is densely connected and sustains most flight flow; Bridge layer, consisting of airports in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, mainly connects two other layers; and Periphery layer, comprising airports of remote areas, sustains little flight flow. Moreover, it is unveiled that CAN stays the most robust when low degree nodes or high flight flow links are removed, which is similar to the Worldwide Airline Network (WAN) albeit less redundant.