Optimised shift scheduling and predictive planning in airport processes

For an airport system to be regarded as reliable from a passengers point of view there are many sub systems which need to perform satisfactorily. For example, as part of the arrivals process at an airport, going through passport control can be one area where delays are incurred. Immigration has to deal with massive influxes of passengers at certain times of the day due to high arrival demand periods. These influxes can also be influenced by off schedule activity i.e. aircrafts arriving late due to delays. To improve throughput of passengers in the arrivals terminal and enhance customer satisfaction, on the final leg of their journey, resource allocation is one area of potential change. The problem is how to schedule resources efficiently to maintain service standards and account for off schedule activity. Modelling of current demand and forecasted demand, alongside failure scenarios (i.e. those incidences that could lead to change in demand levels), need to be investigated. The overall aim of this project is to determine an optimised shift schedule and resource level to optimise flow through airport process including immigration.