Application of Queuing Process in the Optimization of Baggage Handling System of Murtala Muhammed International Airport

Rowland J.O Ekeocha,Samuel A Ushe

doi:10.18483/ijsci.1681

Abstract

Baggage handling systems (BHS) take up a signiﬁcant portion of an airport's overall operation. As an entryway BHS is an essential component as it facilitates a smooth transition for baggage ﬂowing from the check-in area to the departure gates (loading points) by reconstituting a dynamic baggage ﬂow into a stable ﬂow on a conveyor system. The main purpose of this paper is to review different baggage models and their usage in the BHS line shared by multiple airlines. This is particularly relevant in the Nigerian context, as imbalances have been observed in the BHS designed for Murtala Mohammed international Airport. These imbalances lead to a lower customer satisfaction rates for most airline as well as a reduction in the level of service provided by the airport during peak hours. In this study, we shall consider several work of different researchers on the baggage handling systems using different models to solve the entryway BHS. We shall also consider the most appropriate operation of BHS in Nigerian Airport which will improve efficiency and reduce waiting time of passenger baggage. The results indicate that this suggested algorithm reduces the imbalances for the airlines sharing the BHS collection conveyor, while maintaining overall BHS performance at an acceptable level. The relationships between the variables used in the algorithm and overall performance are discussed further.

Highlights

An airport baggage handling system (BHS) is one of the most complex airport operational systems
With respect to potential bottlenecks in the BHS, check-in systems have often been identified as problem areas, because several input conveyors merge into a collection conveyor (Le et al, 2012)
An imbalance is inherent in the merged configuration caused by different blocking rates among the input conveyors

Summary

Introduction

An airport baggage handling system (BHS) is one of the most complex airport operational systems It is responsible for moving,controlling, screening, sorting and storing passenger baggage from the check-in area to the departure gates. If an effective design is not achieved, customer satisfaction rates decline due to delayed baggage or increased waiting times in passenger queues. These problems have become evident in numerous airports that are unable to handle baggage demands during peak operating hours. With respect to potential bottlenecks in the BHS, check-in systems have often been identified as problem areas, because several input conveyors merge into a collection conveyor (Le et al, 2012). Tar (2010) developed an alternative approach for reducing the complexity of the computations by

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