"Flexible network routing plan" for short-haul, low density air transportation system

The economic deregulation of the airline industry has prompted operators to drop the smaller communities from basic air service, as economies of scale have ruled out short-hauls. This is partly due to the evolution of hub-and-spoke network strategy. Whereas, the zone routing technique, a combination of both point-to-point and hub-and-spoke routing, yields low operator cost as well as provides the necessary basic air service to the low density service region. Furthermore, a minimal fleet size with increased frequency can offer a high level of accessibility and maximum utilization of the resources at the same time.