FRAM-Based Analysis of Airport Risk Assessment Process

Abstract

The safety of flight operations and passengers is one of the main criteria for evaluating airport performance. Risk analysis and assessment are used to ensure safety in the airport’s decision-making process. This paper aims to formally analyze these processes and look for weaknesses that can lead to erroneous assessments and, thus, ineffective decisions. Given the specific nature of the issue, which requires the Safety II approach, it was assumed that the analysis would be carried out using a systems approach, considering all factors and relationships affecting the effectiveness of the examined processes. As relatively small-scale deviations from the planned operation of individual system functions are observed in real-world analyses, the Functional Resonance Analysis Method (FRAM) was selected as adequate for such situations. A formal study of the risk assessment process was carried out, focusing on two cases chosen during the initial identification of possible hazards. Applying the FRAM proved an effective way to analyze and search for functional resonance in the airport risk assessment process. It also enabled the identification of mitigating actions, which allows for breaking the chain of variability that leads to an unfavorable course of the process.