Authors: J Wang, Z Shi, J Liu, HXH Bao
Year: 2026
Journal / publisher: Journal of Transport Geography
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2026.104713
Abstract
The air transport sector is a fast-growing source of greenhouse gas emissions and a central challenge to achieving carbon neutrality. Yet how aviation emissions are shaped by network structures across cities and routes remains insufficiently understood. This paper develops a network-based framework to examine the spatiotemporal dynamics of aviation emissions and their policy implications. Using the Yangtze River Delta as a representative urban agglomeration, we construct intercity emission networks from flight-level data (2019—2023). The analysis highlights persistent hub concentration, uneven spatial distribution of emissions, and distinct short- and long-term drivers of emission dynamics. More broadly, the findings demonstrate that aviation decarbonisation requires more than technological innovation: managing network connectivity, rebalancing hub dominance, and integrating alternative transport modes are equally critical. The proposed framework offers a transferable approach for linking aviation networks with environmental outcomes and provides insights for designing coordinated emission reduction strategies in other regional and national contexts.