An assessment of factors affecting airport security services: an AHP approach and case in Turkey

Abstract

Conducting air transportation in the fastest and the most comfortable manner depends fundamentally on ensuring safe and secure flights. Therefore, due to its increasing significance, the subject of airport security services has been the focus of various studies. The purpose of this study is to determine the relative importance of the factors that play a key role in airport security services. Determining the relative importance of these factors may help use the resources more effectively and efficiently, and thus enable airport checkpoint security services to be delivered at the optimal level. This study employs a multi-criteria decision-making technique known as the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The major factors named as Human Resources, Facilities and Equipment, Stakeholders, Regulation and Supervision and Costs, and the sub-factors under these major factors were determined on the basis of the consultations held with the field experts and review of the relevant literature. Within the scope of the study, airport security staff including both practitioners and managers at various levels of work positions were selected as the participants. The AHP method was applied to the obtained data, and the human resources factor was found to be more important than the other factors, which is supported by other research findings in the aviation literature.