Airport airside capacity planning model development and an application

As the demand for air transportation increases, the pressure on airports increases and the existing infrastructures become inadequate. The inadequacy of airport airside capacity is a problem that needs to be overcome in developing markets. This study aims to develop a multi-objective decision support system for airside capacity improvement planning in order to improve the capacity of airports that have or may be insufficient in capacity. The developed model consists of three basic modules. In the first module, the capacity constraints in airside operational processes were determined with the airside simulation model and the interaction of these processes with each other was evaluated. The second module is a module that evaluates improvement suggestions with a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model developed by combining the Fuzzy Best-Worst Method (F-BWM) and the Analytical Network Process (ANP-BCR). Improvement suggestions are evaluated in line with the objectives of increasing capacity, minimizing cost, time and risks. The last module presents a project flow chart that guides decision makers and provides predictions about the completion times of the proposed activity. The application of the proposed model to the airside of Sabiha Gökçen Airport has demonstrated the practical usability of the original methodologies developed. The results of the case study have clearly shown planners how to develop the most effective programs for airside improvement projects.