EURO 2025 Leeds
Abstract Submission

2638. Managing the flow of unit load device in air cargo network

Invited abstract in session TC-57: Air transportation I, stream Transportation.

Tuesday, 12:30-14:00
Room: Liberty 1.12

Authors (first author is the speaker)

1. Kritika Karwasra
Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Indian Institute of Information Technology
2. Narayan Rangaraj
Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay

Abstract

Air cargo networks use Unit Load Devices (ULDs) for moving cargo, much like container movement in the maritime supply chain. ULD requirements vary across the network depending on cargo demand, and ULD handling capacity. A key challenge in ULD management is the imbalanced flow of ULDs as cargo movement is often asymmetrical, causing excess ULD at some locations and ULD deficiency at others. To maintain operational efficiency, it is essential to redistribute ULD by repositioning them empty. Effective management of ULD flows starts with determining inventory levels incorporating safety stocks for different types of ULD (solid and pallet). Once these inventory levels are established, the decision can be made on how many empty ULDs to be moved between airports. Another critical factor in ULD repositioning is the type of service used to transfer. Air cargo network operates on a hub and spoke network where spoke-level airports (and long-distance hubs) are connected via central hub airports. Repositioning ULD with such an intermediate hub facility is only possible if the hub has enough capacity to handle additional demand from incoming airports. This requires a careful assessment of flight schedules and the synchronization of empty ULD movements with existing service schedules to ensure an efficient ULD flow across the network. So in this research, we address the empty ULD repositioning problem considering the capacity level constraint of intermediate hub in different service routes.

Keywords

Status: accepted

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