Analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach to aircraft type selection on high-frequency domestic routes

Abstract

In opening a new route, all airline companies in Indonesia need to get approval from the Ministry of the Transportation Republic of Indonesia. When asking an approval to open a new route, it becomes an important thing and needs careful planning. The national flag carrier of Indonesia, which serves a full-service product to its customers, has plans to open several new domestic and international routes in 2019. Like other Indonesian airlines, it also needs to submit its five-year business plan to get the Air Transport Business Permit (or Surat Izin Usaha Angkutan Udara - SIUAU) from Ministry of Transportation. This paper focuses on several high-frequency domestic routes from/ to Soekarno Hatta International Airport, such as Jakarta - Denpasar, Jakarta - Medan, Jakarta - Semarang, Jakarta - Surabaya, and Jakarta - Yogyakarta. By using both a combination of the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methods in selecting the most suitable aircraft type, several criteria and alternatives were defined. 6 (six) important criteria in selecting the most suitable aircraft (Maximum Take Off Weight (MTOW), Cost per Available Seat Kilometer (CASK), operational performance, delivery time, fleet commonality, and additional benefits) and 4 (four) alternative aircraft types (B737-800NG, B737-8MAX, CRJ1000, and A330-300) that are suitable for those routes were defined. The result shows that the most suitable aircraft for highfrequency domestic routes is B737-800NG, which rank first in fleet commonality, operational performance, and delivery time. Then followed by B737-8MAX, A330-300, and CRJ1000. Thus, this study provides an illustration of aircraft type selection problem solving for known routes, which expectedly could help other airline companies in considering more careful planning in the future.