Improving airport performance through a model-based analysis and optimization approach

Abstract

Traditionally airport systems have been studied using an approach in which the different elements of the system are studied independently. Until recently scientific community has put attention in developing models and techniques that study the system using holistic approaches for understanding cause and effect relationships of the integral system. This chapter presents a case of an airport in which the authors have implemented an approach for improving the turnaround time of the operation. The novelty of the approach is that it uses a combination of simulation, parameter analysis and optimization for getting to the best amount of vehicles that minimize the turnaround time of the airport under study. In addition, the simulation model is such that it includes the most important elements within the aviation system, such as terminal manoeuvring area, runway, taxi networks, and ground handling operation. The results show clearly that the approach is suitable for a complex system in which the amount of variables makes it intractable for getting good solutions in reasonable time.