Source: Adapted from O'Connor, K. (1995) "Airport Development in
Southeast Asia", Journal of Transport Geography, Vol. 3, No. 4, pp.
269-279.
Stages in Air Network Development
Four major stages can summarize air network development:
- 1) Initial development. During the 1930s basic linear
services were established. Since the technical capabilities of aircrafts
were limited, especially in terms of range, intermediate stops had
to be made. For instance, a flight across the Pacific required stops
at Hawaii, Wake, Midway, Guam and the Philippines islands.
- 2) By-passing effect. During the 1940s and 1950s, the
technical capabilities of aircrafts improved substantially, which
enabled to by-pass several intermediate stops. Routes between major
destinations still had a linear structure.
- 3) Proximity effect. In the 1960s and 1970s, aircraft
technology permitted long distance routes, which supported the development
of a network structure reflecting better the size and function of
markets. As such, the airports of large cities started to see the
development of feeder services.
- 4) Hubbing effect. Through the accumulated effect of
hubbing, the 1980s and 1990s saw the creation of large hubs handling
the great majority of air traffic, especially at the international
level.