Green development level on provincial-level air logistics: Evidence for spatial network evolution and impact mechanisms from China.

Enhancing the efficiency and green level of air logistics is an effective way to realize the goal of cleaner production in the aviation industry. This study takes 31 provinces in China as an object, merges the airport data of each province, and dynamically analyzes the level of green development and spatial differentiation characteristics of air transportation by using super-efficiency SBM-DEA (slacks-based measure data envelopment analysis). This study considers the actual routes and distances in the air transportation process to construct an air logistics spatial correlation network from the provincial perspective. The paper explores its evolution characteristics and distribution features and analyzes the driving factors affecting the air logistics spatial network through the quadratic assignment procedure model. The results are as follows: (1) Carbon emissions from aviation logistics in different economic zones vary greatly, characterized by east > central > west > northeast. (2) The green level of aviation logistics shows the characteristics of becoming stronger first and then weaker. 19.35 % of the provinces have significant spatial clustering characteristics of high-high type. (3) Shaanxi, Hubei, Tianjin, Jiangsu, and Shanghai are the bridges of aviation logistics. (4) Air throughput, air transport distance positively influence the dynamic evolution of the aviation logistics spatial correlation network.