Airport centrality analysis: The Azores archipelago case

Purpose: The aim is to analyze the centrality fluctuations of Azorean airports, which allow us to deduce their importance over the years.Design/methodology/approach: Just as the word "importance" can have diverse meanings in different contexts, centrality is also divided into various definitions. Of all the concepts found in the bibliographical references, those found to be the most relevant are highlighted and explained, and then the measure of centrality that is considered being the most appropriate to the context of the specific problem being addressed is selected (in this case, the Eigenvector Centrality). This centrality measure is calculated using data on the number of passengers transported through Portuguese airports between 2012 and 2022.Findings: It can be concluded that, in terms of passenger traffic on connections within the Portuguese airport network, Ponta Delgada airport is the most central in the network, with the other Azorean airports having medium or high centrality indices. Regarding international passenger traffic by air, the relevance of the Azorean airports is significantly reduced, with Santa Maria airport achieving the highest centrality values. In addition to the aforementioned conclusions, the Eigenvector Centrality study allows us to draw the important conclusion that, in addition to the number of connections themselves, it is necessary to assess the relevance of the connections. Originality/value: This type of analysis makes it possible to pinpoint the nodes of a network that are of utmost importance. Here, they will represent the airports with the most crucial connections and links. These are the ones that are expected to have some of the greatest flow of passengers and cargo and, therefore, the ones that contribute the most to the region in various aspects, for example, from a financial point of view.