A Multilayer and Time-varying Structural Analysis of the Brazilian Air Transportation Network

TL;DR

This paper employs a multilayer, time-varying analysis using MultiAspect Graphs to study the Brazilian air transportation network, revealing airline strategies and economic impacts on route establishment during crises.

Contribution

It introduces a novel application of MultiAspect Graphs for analyzing high-order, dynamic transportation networks, demonstrating its effectiveness through a case study of Brazil's air system.

Findings

Revealed airline-specific strategies during economic crises

Assessed the impact of economic fluctuations on route dynamics

Validated MAG as a powerful tool for high-order network analysis

Abstract

This paper provides a multilayer and time-varying structural analysis of one air transportation network, having the Brazilian air transportation network as a case study. Using a single mathematical object called MultiAspect Graph (MAG) for this analysis, the multilayer perspective enables the unveiling of the particular strategies of each airline to both establish and adapt in a moment of crisis its specific flight network. Similarly, the time-varying perspective allows multi-scale analysis considering different time periods, and thus assessing the impact of the economic crisis on how the different airlines establish their routes as well as the flights that use these routes. Altogether, besides the multilayer and time-varying structural analysis of the Brazilian air transportation network, this paper also acts as a proof-of-concept for the MAG potential for the modeling and analysis of high-order networks.