EURO 2024 Copenhagen
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2327. Analyzing the impact of operational disruptions on airline ground staff planning

Contributed abstract in session MA-58: Automated Timetabling, stream Automated Timetabling.

Monday, 8:30-10:00
Room: S07 (building: 101)

Authors (first author is the speaker)

1. Mahekha Dahanayaka
Department of High-tech Business and Entrepreneurship, University of Twente
2. Dennis Prak
University of Twente
3. Rohit Gupta
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
4. Martijn Mes
IEBIS, University of Twente

Abstract

Staff planning for airport ground operations usually starts well ahead of the day of operation. Aircraft delays, caused by factors such as weather and technical issues, subsequent cascading delays on the ground, as well as workforce uncertainties, are all unknown at the moment that staff plans are made and are typically disregarded. In practice, airlines have traditionally prioritized equipment over staff as the primary constraint, thus devoting less attention to the latter. Moreover, the computational complexity associated with staff shift planning problems has led the prevailing approach to be deterministic, assuming complete knowledge of the specific tasks and their respective timings. However, recently, the labour market has tightened significantly, causing a focal shift toward staffing constraints.
In this study, we explore the impact of uncertainty on schedule performance, drawing inspiration from the practical operations of a major European hub-and spoke carrier, with a particular focus on the planning of baggage (un)loading staff. We simulate disruptions and the consequent recovery strategies using historical data to demonstrate the quality of priori decisions regarding shift and break timing, staff allocation, and long-term workforce planning. Based on this, we offer insights into the significance of diverse uncertainty types, their magnitudes, and correlations, demonstrating how planning decisions can be adjusted without sacrificing computational tractability.

Keywords

Status: accepted

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