Analysis of the impact of disruptions on the multiple airport regions

The Multiple Airport Regions (MARs) encompass many busy airports. These airports have high operating density and frequent aircraft movements, making them susceptible to disruptive events. Such disruptions may have a significant impact on the safety and efficiency of air transport systems. This study constructs a New York MARs network model using the complex network theory. Five types of disruptions affecting flight operations were studied, revealing that airspace, carrier, and late aircraft affect flight delays most frequently, while adverse weather leads to the longest delay times. Moreover, 49.36 % of flight delays often result from the simultaneous occurrence of multiple disturbances, with the combined effects of carrier and late aircraft being the most frequent. To assess disturbance effects, a flight cancellation and delay network was constructed to examine the impact of New York MARs on nationwide flight operations using robustness analysis. The results show that flight delays have a greater impact on national flights than flight cancellations due to frequent occurrences. Notably, carrier, airspace, and late aircraft are the most influential factors for flight delays. These findings help to develop more effective flight recovery strategies for different disruptive events and ensure the normal operation of the aviation system as a whole.